Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Transcript of Bicycle Traveler January 2012
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 1
WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 2012
Walkstool Goodbye Bangkok Iceland Photo Story Californian Beauty- - -
International Magazine on Bicycle Touring BicycleTraveler
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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STORIES
E QUIPMENT
hoto Left PAUL JEURISSEN
over Photo ED BRABANDER httpmembershomenledmyrthe
CONTENTS
C OLUMN
P HOTOGRAPHY
INTERVIEW
BicycleTraveler
QUOTES
20
THE SPEEDSTERS By Steve Fabes34
TRUCKER TRACES By Andrew Morgan08
CALIFORNIAN BEAUTY By Hanna Mi Jakobson
22
PHOTO STORY - ICELAND By Willem Megens amp Rudi Verhagen14
TEST WALKSTOOL COMFORT By Tyler Kellen12
TRIP GEAR By Grace Johnson10
26 IMAGE FROM THE ROAD - CHINA By Benjamin Jacob
24 JOSIE DEW - C YCLING THROUGH FRANCE By Lynette Eyb
38 PARTING SHOT -BOLIVIA By Fearghal OrsquoNuallain
06
28 IMAGE FROM THE ROAD - UGANDA By Fabian Nawrath
TEST ORTLIEB FOLDING BOWL By Friedel Grant 13
32 WHAT DO C YCLISTS MISS ON THEIR TRIPS By Various Authors
THE ROAD By Fearghal OrsquoNuallain
GOODBYE BANGKOK By Rob Halkett
30 IMAGE FROM THE ROAD - INDIA By Paul Jeurissen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Bicycle Traveler is copyright
Grace Johnson All material has
been used with permission and is
copyright original sources
Th atic pbihd ct th
opinions of their respective authors
and are not necessarily
those of the editor
COPYRIGHT
CONTACT
infobicycletravelernl
DISCLAIMER
Grace Johns
W w ovwhmd by th thiatic po to o t i of Bicyc
Traveler ndash 15000 downloads Then again maybe we shouldnrsquot be surprisedBicycle travelers are passionate about exploring the world and enjoy reading the ad-
ventures of others
Yet who is a bicycle traveler Is it someone who races around the world May-
be not according to this editionrsquos columnist Steve Fabes (p34) Irishman Fearghal
OrsquoNuallain writes about missing ldquothe roadrdquo (p6) but do cyclists long for the same
things when they are on it It turns out what they miss (p32) is as varied as the coun-
tries they travel through
From the editor
EDITOR
Grace Johnson
P h o t o s P A
U L J E U R I S S E N
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Someday all of this will come to an end the sleep-
ing rough chiseled calves calloused arse tak-
ing 8 hours of exercise a day wearing the same
clothes for two weeks straight having an interesting topic
for conversation worrying about incline gradient and
road surfaces eating like a horse being able to eat a
horse not knowing the name of the town Irsquom in forgetting
the name of the person Irsquom spending the night with cy-cling another twenty km till lunch to save 50 cents living
out of a waterproof bag in a steel trailer saying Irlanda
30 times a day saying nononnietnine not Hollandahellip
Irrrrrrlanda assessing the quality of a book by its size
and weight as well as its content wondering why anyone
would ever wear clothes that are not waterproofbreath-
ablequick dryinglightthermal
Someday Irsquoll be home Irsquoll have a fridge a cooker a
shower a cupboard and a bed Irsquoll be able to close a door
and be by myself talk to people in complex English with
an Irish accent using colloquialisms slang and very spe-
cic Aa Patidg fc Irsquo b ab to gt ot of my
bed and not have to pack it away and go to bed without
waiting for darkness or asking some onersquos permission Irsquoll
hav to gt p at a pcic tim ad do tak that om-
one else dictates Irsquoll have a phone and a set of keys
Someday my life will be normal again and uninterest-ing and Irsquoll probably miss my stop on the train because I
was daydreaming about when I lived on a special simple
world called the road
Road
The
- Fearghal ONuallain
Fearghal and Simon Evans are the rst Irish cyclists tocircumnavigate the globe You can read their trip reports athttprevolutioncycleie
P h o t o P A u l J e
u r I s s e n
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Truckers who traverse the long
barren stretches of desert tarmac
in Chilersquos Atacama Desert do so
much like male dogs canvassing city
blocksndashthey leavehellipuhhhellipbits of them-selveshellipeverywhere they go
Itrsquos impossible to take in an Atacama
viewndashthe scattered black moon rocks
the bone-colored sand dunes the moun-
tains that look as if theyrsquove been ripped
straight out of a Dali landscapendashwithout
oticig th cffd haf-d pa-
tic bottles as well Theyrsquore everywhere (sometimes one can be spotted every
100 yad) ad thyrsquo a d with th
am thig p
Thatrsquos right
P fok
The driest place on Earth is turning
out to be not such a dry a place after all
Itrsquos saturated almost with the urine ofpassing truckers
Thankfully truckers in this part of the
world create urine in hundreds of shades
of solely yellow and orange all hues that
blend nicely with the shifting shades of
the Atacamarsquos sands I have not once
spotted a bottle of the tell-tale bright
green urine of a daily-multi-vitamin-tak-
er Nor have I seen a container weighed
down with the dark brown amber pee of
a Coca-Cola-junkie I donrsquot know what
these drivers are eating and drinking but
whatever it is itrsquos stuff that keeps their
pee Atacama-colored
The problem rests with the plastic
bottles They give the place the feelingof a toilet bowl raised to the power of
two tah ca P th tadim aft
a soccer match minus 10 redwoods In
the middle of the desert in the center of
what should be one of the worldrsquos most
unique arid human-less places I see
liquid traces of lazy men (Irsquom making an
assumption here I know but I think itrsquos a
af o Oy m div ad p at th
same time) Instead of natural nothing-
ness Irsquom seeing lots of human stuff-nessI mt admit thogh sig a of
these bottles of trucker pee all over the
place has inspired my mind to delve into
areas of thought into which it never dared
venture before These are some of the
things I think about when I pass bottle
aft bott of Atacama tck p
1 How in the world do these guys
manage to pee into such small bottles
ad div at th am tim ray how
They must I assume carry (and hopefully
Trucker TracesStory amp Photo ANDREW MORGAN
Cyclist Andrew Morgan discovers that the Atacama desert isnrsquot completely dry
ldquoThatrsquos right
Pee folksrdquo
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wash every once in a while) funnels
2 Wow that one was incredibly
orange I never in my life have seen that
shade of orange before in pee or any-
where else I wonder if that guyrsquos OK
3 That bottle is so full it clearly has
been used many many times In between
uses for a few weeks where does he
to it I a cp hod ud hi at
4 If Chilean energy drink companies
were smart (are there any Chilean en-
ergy drink companies) they would send
scientists out into the desert to collect
samples from as many bottles of truck-
er pee as possible From the samplestheyrsquod be able to tell what nutrients and
other stuff truckers are lacking in their di-
t Pttig th thig ito a pcica-
ly-designed-for-truckers drink would cre-
ate a hit product one with an uncanny
ability to leave truckers feeling refreshed
5 Hy coondashomo d a mo-
ade bottle with pee that looks exactly likelemonade I mean
exactly Hmmmmhellip
actual lyhellipmaybe
itrsquos just a big bottle
of lemonade that
someone couldnrsquot
ih Wod it b
too risky to openthe thing and smell
it to see if maybe
it is lemonade and
maybe maybe I
could drink it Hmm-
mm Hmmmm Yes
Too iky Dity
6 uggggh I hat
seeing all of this
trash everywhere
If I wa Pidt
Read about Andrew Morganrsquos year-and-a-half long ride through the Americas at
wwwTeacherontwowheelscom A bookabout his trip is due out in 2012
BT
of Chile Irsquod create a pee-bottle recycling
program complete with incentives and
all For each ounce of pee you brought to
a recycling center yoursquod get some sort of
food A piece of carrot cake Or a donut
Not a drink of course but food
If you are a Chilean trucker please for
the love of the two or three animals that
call the Atacama home and all the tourists
all 10 of them who ride bicycles across
it each year please donrsquot throw bottles
of pee out your window while you drive
Stop get out of the truck take a breath
of fresh air and pee into the sand like ev-
eryone else
Thank you Gracias
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TRIP GEAR
Escaping the dark winter months by
touring Morocco or Mexico is fun but
gttig bt aft yo t day
of cycling isnrsquot Scape is a waterproof
sweat proof sunscreen which will not
rub off and run into your eyes It also
ha th hight uVA potctio of a
sunscreens on the market
Price $1499 US
wwwscapelabscom
Advanced Sunscreen
Th Motai Hadwa utalamia
32 sleeping bag weighs just 1 lb15 oz
(870 gr) and packs down to approximately6 inches (17 cm) long It is designed for
damp cool conditions and is rated to 37
degrees F (3 C)
Price $190 US
Synthetic Sleeping Bag
Sololite One Person TentThe Wild Country Sololite is an inex-
pensive all-season solo tent It weighs
4 lb 35 oz (less than 2 kg) and is over
7 feet (220 cm) long
Price $17849 US
wwwterra-novacouk
A look at equipment for bicycle travelersBy GRACE JOHNSON
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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The Scrubr is a synthetic scouring pad
for cleaning your cooking gear Itrsquos
lightweight odor resistant and drips dry
in minutes The makers of Scrubr write
ldquoWe developed it because we weretired of having to throw away stinky
sponges after one camping triprdquo
Price $275 US
httplunatecgearcom
Scrubr Scouring Pad
Many Asian countries are full of cheaphotels so itrsquos tempting to leave your
camping gear at home Still if you become
stranded a cold night in the open can be
extremely uncomfortable An alternative
i to cay th sOl emgcy Bivy Itrsquo
made from the same material as space
bakt which ct 90 of yo body
heat back to youThe bag packs smalland weighs 38 oz (107 gr)
Price $50 US
wwwadventuremedicalkitscom
Emergency Bivy Bag
TrendyDigitalrsquos SplashGuard case is a
padded pouch with a protective screen
Itrsquos also resistant to water and dust You
can operate the keyboard and naviga-
tion button of your Kindle right through
the case It weighs 45 oz (128 gr) and
the company also makes protective
ca fo th iPad
Price $1599 US
httptrendydigitalcom
Kindle Protection
EQUIPMENT
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Amonth before we left on our round
the world trip I began thinking ldquowhat
are we going to sit onrdquo After talking it
over with Tara (my wife) we decided our
requirements for a chair were (in order
of impotac) compact iz comfot-
able to sit in and (hopefully) very light
I started at the tip of the camp seatingiceberg by looking what Id used during
a my ai famiy campig tip tho
foldable chairs movie directors are sup-
posed to sit in I found big ones comi-
cally small ones wooden ones steel
ones aluminum ones and countless oth-
er variations before realizing the solution
had to lay elsewhere Delving deeper Idiscovered a dizzying array of options
including hundreds of folding chairs a
weird collapsible sling we tried it it was
awful) chairs with more moving parts
tha a ca ad ay gttig co ot
of th ggd o that md to t
the bill except they were all rather large
Once Id decided that a three leggedchair had the most potential I started
looking for one with telescoping legs I
knew it had to exist It took a lot of hunt-
ing but I eventually found the Swedish
made Walkstool and it had everything
w watd ma coapd iz vy
comfortable seating and thanks to its
amim cotctio ight wight O
of the things I like most about the Walk-
stool is that you can sit on it when the
legs arent extended the perfect height
for working on the drivetrain of your bi-
cycle or preparing dinner on the ground
After six months of use and abuse they
look brand new and work just as well as
they day they arrived at our doorstep I
oy hav o gativ thig to pot
they need better advertising
Walkstool Comfort
WALKSTOOL COMFORT
HEIGHT 18 IN (45 CM)
FOLDED LENGTH 11 IN (28 CM)
WEIGHT 26 OZ (725 GR)
MAXIMUM LOAD 440 LBS (200 KG)
By TYLER KELLEN
Tyler Kellen amp Tara Alan spent two yearscycling around the world Their websitewwwgoingslowlycom is the scrapbook of
their adventures together
GEAR REVIEWS
For further information on the Walkstool
Comfort see wwwwalkstoolcom
BT
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EQUIPMENT
S
ometimes itrsquos hard to separate the
important accessories from the friv-
olous ones when choosing what to take
on a tour For a long time we put Ort-
liebrsquos 10 litre folding bowl in the sec-
ond category We couldnrsquot imagine why
we needed one
It wasnrsquot until we met a couple with not
one but two folding bowls on tour that we
reconsidered our decisionSince then the
bowl (which comes in 5 litre and 20 litre siz-es as well) has been one of our most reg-
ularly used items What do we use it for
Doig lady sik a oft with-
out plugs or if yoursquore camping you may
not have access to a sink at all The bowl
is great for doing laundry in and you can
fold it together with the clothes inside to
help squeeze out excess waterCoctig wat fo tig W gt
a large amount of water together in the
bow to t ito o bott wh wrsquo
in places where we canrsquot trust the water
showig u th bow to cay v-
erything you need for your shower back
and forth between the bathrooms and
the tent If yoursquore wild camping you canalso use the bowl to collect water from a
stream or river for a bucket shower
Washing Dishes Throw them all in
with a little dish soap and you have an
instant sink or just use the bowl to carry
everything to the washing area
Cleaning Food You can throw large
quantities of vegetables in the bowl to
be washed We use ours a lot for salad
leaves which are too bulky to clean in
our saucepans You can also use the
Ortlieb 10 Litre Folding BowlBy FRIEDEL GRANT
Friedel amp Andrew Grantrsquos extensive website
wwwtravellingtwocom contains their tripreports resources for bicycle travelers andthe e-book ldquoBike Touring Survival Guiderdquo
bowl as an extra serving dish We often
make and dress our salads directly in it
Itrsquos hard to think of a day where we
donrsquot use our Ortlieb Bowl When it isnrsquot
being put to work it folds up into a tri-
angle and sits on top of our camping
mattresses which lie across Friedelrsquos
two back panniers So howrsquos it holding
up After 2 years of constant use our
bowl is showing some signs of wear but
nothing that stops us using it as we wantto The sides are a little saggy but it still
maintains the bowl shape A small hole
did develop in the bottom along the fold
lines of the bowl but we patched it with
our puncture repair kit and havenrsquot had a
problem since
ORTLIEB 10 LITRE FOLDING BOWLWEIGHT 92 OZ (260 GR)
BT
For more information on the folding bowl
see wwwortliebde
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IcelandWillem Megens and Rudi Verhagen experienceIcelandrsquos dramatic landscape as they cycle
around the Vatnajoumlkull glacierPhotos WILLEM MEGENS amp RUDI VERHAGEN
PHOTO STORY
Photo WILLEM MEGENS
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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65
4
3
2
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1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
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Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
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P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
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As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
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looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
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INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
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SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
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STORIES
E QUIPMENT
hoto Left PAUL JEURISSEN
over Photo ED BRABANDER httpmembershomenledmyrthe
CONTENTS
C OLUMN
P HOTOGRAPHY
INTERVIEW
BicycleTraveler
QUOTES
20
THE SPEEDSTERS By Steve Fabes34
TRUCKER TRACES By Andrew Morgan08
CALIFORNIAN BEAUTY By Hanna Mi Jakobson
22
PHOTO STORY - ICELAND By Willem Megens amp Rudi Verhagen14
TEST WALKSTOOL COMFORT By Tyler Kellen12
TRIP GEAR By Grace Johnson10
26 IMAGE FROM THE ROAD - CHINA By Benjamin Jacob
24 JOSIE DEW - C YCLING THROUGH FRANCE By Lynette Eyb
38 PARTING SHOT -BOLIVIA By Fearghal OrsquoNuallain
06
28 IMAGE FROM THE ROAD - UGANDA By Fabian Nawrath
TEST ORTLIEB FOLDING BOWL By Friedel Grant 13
32 WHAT DO C YCLISTS MISS ON THEIR TRIPS By Various Authors
THE ROAD By Fearghal OrsquoNuallain
GOODBYE BANGKOK By Rob Halkett
30 IMAGE FROM THE ROAD - INDIA By Paul Jeurissen
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Bicycle Traveler is copyright
Grace Johnson All material has
been used with permission and is
copyright original sources
Th atic pbihd ct th
opinions of their respective authors
and are not necessarily
those of the editor
COPYRIGHT
CONTACT
infobicycletravelernl
DISCLAIMER
Grace Johns
W w ovwhmd by th thiatic po to o t i of Bicyc
Traveler ndash 15000 downloads Then again maybe we shouldnrsquot be surprisedBicycle travelers are passionate about exploring the world and enjoy reading the ad-
ventures of others
Yet who is a bicycle traveler Is it someone who races around the world May-
be not according to this editionrsquos columnist Steve Fabes (p34) Irishman Fearghal
OrsquoNuallain writes about missing ldquothe roadrdquo (p6) but do cyclists long for the same
things when they are on it It turns out what they miss (p32) is as varied as the coun-
tries they travel through
From the editor
EDITOR
Grace Johnson
P h o t o s P A
U L J E U R I S S E N
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Someday all of this will come to an end the sleep-
ing rough chiseled calves calloused arse tak-
ing 8 hours of exercise a day wearing the same
clothes for two weeks straight having an interesting topic
for conversation worrying about incline gradient and
road surfaces eating like a horse being able to eat a
horse not knowing the name of the town Irsquom in forgetting
the name of the person Irsquom spending the night with cy-cling another twenty km till lunch to save 50 cents living
out of a waterproof bag in a steel trailer saying Irlanda
30 times a day saying nononnietnine not Hollandahellip
Irrrrrrlanda assessing the quality of a book by its size
and weight as well as its content wondering why anyone
would ever wear clothes that are not waterproofbreath-
ablequick dryinglightthermal
Someday Irsquoll be home Irsquoll have a fridge a cooker a
shower a cupboard and a bed Irsquoll be able to close a door
and be by myself talk to people in complex English with
an Irish accent using colloquialisms slang and very spe-
cic Aa Patidg fc Irsquo b ab to gt ot of my
bed and not have to pack it away and go to bed without
waiting for darkness or asking some onersquos permission Irsquoll
hav to gt p at a pcic tim ad do tak that om-
one else dictates Irsquoll have a phone and a set of keys
Someday my life will be normal again and uninterest-ing and Irsquoll probably miss my stop on the train because I
was daydreaming about when I lived on a special simple
world called the road
Road
The
- Fearghal ONuallain
Fearghal and Simon Evans are the rst Irish cyclists tocircumnavigate the globe You can read their trip reports athttprevolutioncycleie
P h o t o P A u l J e
u r I s s e n
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Truckers who traverse the long
barren stretches of desert tarmac
in Chilersquos Atacama Desert do so
much like male dogs canvassing city
blocksndashthey leavehellipuhhhellipbits of them-selveshellipeverywhere they go
Itrsquos impossible to take in an Atacama
viewndashthe scattered black moon rocks
the bone-colored sand dunes the moun-
tains that look as if theyrsquove been ripped
straight out of a Dali landscapendashwithout
oticig th cffd haf-d pa-
tic bottles as well Theyrsquore everywhere (sometimes one can be spotted every
100 yad) ad thyrsquo a d with th
am thig p
Thatrsquos right
P fok
The driest place on Earth is turning
out to be not such a dry a place after all
Itrsquos saturated almost with the urine ofpassing truckers
Thankfully truckers in this part of the
world create urine in hundreds of shades
of solely yellow and orange all hues that
blend nicely with the shifting shades of
the Atacamarsquos sands I have not once
spotted a bottle of the tell-tale bright
green urine of a daily-multi-vitamin-tak-
er Nor have I seen a container weighed
down with the dark brown amber pee of
a Coca-Cola-junkie I donrsquot know what
these drivers are eating and drinking but
whatever it is itrsquos stuff that keeps their
pee Atacama-colored
The problem rests with the plastic
bottles They give the place the feelingof a toilet bowl raised to the power of
two tah ca P th tadim aft
a soccer match minus 10 redwoods In
the middle of the desert in the center of
what should be one of the worldrsquos most
unique arid human-less places I see
liquid traces of lazy men (Irsquom making an
assumption here I know but I think itrsquos a
af o Oy m div ad p at th
same time) Instead of natural nothing-
ness Irsquom seeing lots of human stuff-nessI mt admit thogh sig a of
these bottles of trucker pee all over the
place has inspired my mind to delve into
areas of thought into which it never dared
venture before These are some of the
things I think about when I pass bottle
aft bott of Atacama tck p
1 How in the world do these guys
manage to pee into such small bottles
ad div at th am tim ray how
They must I assume carry (and hopefully
Trucker TracesStory amp Photo ANDREW MORGAN
Cyclist Andrew Morgan discovers that the Atacama desert isnrsquot completely dry
ldquoThatrsquos right
Pee folksrdquo
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wash every once in a while) funnels
2 Wow that one was incredibly
orange I never in my life have seen that
shade of orange before in pee or any-
where else I wonder if that guyrsquos OK
3 That bottle is so full it clearly has
been used many many times In between
uses for a few weeks where does he
to it I a cp hod ud hi at
4 If Chilean energy drink companies
were smart (are there any Chilean en-
ergy drink companies) they would send
scientists out into the desert to collect
samples from as many bottles of truck-
er pee as possible From the samplestheyrsquod be able to tell what nutrients and
other stuff truckers are lacking in their di-
t Pttig th thig ito a pcica-
ly-designed-for-truckers drink would cre-
ate a hit product one with an uncanny
ability to leave truckers feeling refreshed
5 Hy coondashomo d a mo-
ade bottle with pee that looks exactly likelemonade I mean
exactly Hmmmmhellip
actual lyhellipmaybe
itrsquos just a big bottle
of lemonade that
someone couldnrsquot
ih Wod it b
too risky to openthe thing and smell
it to see if maybe
it is lemonade and
maybe maybe I
could drink it Hmm-
mm Hmmmm Yes
Too iky Dity
6 uggggh I hat
seeing all of this
trash everywhere
If I wa Pidt
Read about Andrew Morganrsquos year-and-a-half long ride through the Americas at
wwwTeacherontwowheelscom A bookabout his trip is due out in 2012
BT
of Chile Irsquod create a pee-bottle recycling
program complete with incentives and
all For each ounce of pee you brought to
a recycling center yoursquod get some sort of
food A piece of carrot cake Or a donut
Not a drink of course but food
If you are a Chilean trucker please for
the love of the two or three animals that
call the Atacama home and all the tourists
all 10 of them who ride bicycles across
it each year please donrsquot throw bottles
of pee out your window while you drive
Stop get out of the truck take a breath
of fresh air and pee into the sand like ev-
eryone else
Thank you Gracias
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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TRIP GEAR
Escaping the dark winter months by
touring Morocco or Mexico is fun but
gttig bt aft yo t day
of cycling isnrsquot Scape is a waterproof
sweat proof sunscreen which will not
rub off and run into your eyes It also
ha th hight uVA potctio of a
sunscreens on the market
Price $1499 US
wwwscapelabscom
Advanced Sunscreen
Th Motai Hadwa utalamia
32 sleeping bag weighs just 1 lb15 oz
(870 gr) and packs down to approximately6 inches (17 cm) long It is designed for
damp cool conditions and is rated to 37
degrees F (3 C)
Price $190 US
Synthetic Sleeping Bag
Sololite One Person TentThe Wild Country Sololite is an inex-
pensive all-season solo tent It weighs
4 lb 35 oz (less than 2 kg) and is over
7 feet (220 cm) long
Price $17849 US
wwwterra-novacouk
A look at equipment for bicycle travelersBy GRACE JOHNSON
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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The Scrubr is a synthetic scouring pad
for cleaning your cooking gear Itrsquos
lightweight odor resistant and drips dry
in minutes The makers of Scrubr write
ldquoWe developed it because we weretired of having to throw away stinky
sponges after one camping triprdquo
Price $275 US
httplunatecgearcom
Scrubr Scouring Pad
Many Asian countries are full of cheaphotels so itrsquos tempting to leave your
camping gear at home Still if you become
stranded a cold night in the open can be
extremely uncomfortable An alternative
i to cay th sOl emgcy Bivy Itrsquo
made from the same material as space
bakt which ct 90 of yo body
heat back to youThe bag packs smalland weighs 38 oz (107 gr)
Price $50 US
wwwadventuremedicalkitscom
Emergency Bivy Bag
TrendyDigitalrsquos SplashGuard case is a
padded pouch with a protective screen
Itrsquos also resistant to water and dust You
can operate the keyboard and naviga-
tion button of your Kindle right through
the case It weighs 45 oz (128 gr) and
the company also makes protective
ca fo th iPad
Price $1599 US
httptrendydigitalcom
Kindle Protection
EQUIPMENT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Amonth before we left on our round
the world trip I began thinking ldquowhat
are we going to sit onrdquo After talking it
over with Tara (my wife) we decided our
requirements for a chair were (in order
of impotac) compact iz comfot-
able to sit in and (hopefully) very light
I started at the tip of the camp seatingiceberg by looking what Id used during
a my ai famiy campig tip tho
foldable chairs movie directors are sup-
posed to sit in I found big ones comi-
cally small ones wooden ones steel
ones aluminum ones and countless oth-
er variations before realizing the solution
had to lay elsewhere Delving deeper Idiscovered a dizzying array of options
including hundreds of folding chairs a
weird collapsible sling we tried it it was
awful) chairs with more moving parts
tha a ca ad ay gttig co ot
of th ggd o that md to t
the bill except they were all rather large
Once Id decided that a three leggedchair had the most potential I started
looking for one with telescoping legs I
knew it had to exist It took a lot of hunt-
ing but I eventually found the Swedish
made Walkstool and it had everything
w watd ma coapd iz vy
comfortable seating and thanks to its
amim cotctio ight wight O
of the things I like most about the Walk-
stool is that you can sit on it when the
legs arent extended the perfect height
for working on the drivetrain of your bi-
cycle or preparing dinner on the ground
After six months of use and abuse they
look brand new and work just as well as
they day they arrived at our doorstep I
oy hav o gativ thig to pot
they need better advertising
Walkstool Comfort
WALKSTOOL COMFORT
HEIGHT 18 IN (45 CM)
FOLDED LENGTH 11 IN (28 CM)
WEIGHT 26 OZ (725 GR)
MAXIMUM LOAD 440 LBS (200 KG)
By TYLER KELLEN
Tyler Kellen amp Tara Alan spent two yearscycling around the world Their websitewwwgoingslowlycom is the scrapbook of
their adventures together
GEAR REVIEWS
For further information on the Walkstool
Comfort see wwwwalkstoolcom
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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EQUIPMENT
S
ometimes itrsquos hard to separate the
important accessories from the friv-
olous ones when choosing what to take
on a tour For a long time we put Ort-
liebrsquos 10 litre folding bowl in the sec-
ond category We couldnrsquot imagine why
we needed one
It wasnrsquot until we met a couple with not
one but two folding bowls on tour that we
reconsidered our decisionSince then the
bowl (which comes in 5 litre and 20 litre siz-es as well) has been one of our most reg-
ularly used items What do we use it for
Doig lady sik a oft with-
out plugs or if yoursquore camping you may
not have access to a sink at all The bowl
is great for doing laundry in and you can
fold it together with the clothes inside to
help squeeze out excess waterCoctig wat fo tig W gt
a large amount of water together in the
bow to t ito o bott wh wrsquo
in places where we canrsquot trust the water
showig u th bow to cay v-
erything you need for your shower back
and forth between the bathrooms and
the tent If yoursquore wild camping you canalso use the bowl to collect water from a
stream or river for a bucket shower
Washing Dishes Throw them all in
with a little dish soap and you have an
instant sink or just use the bowl to carry
everything to the washing area
Cleaning Food You can throw large
quantities of vegetables in the bowl to
be washed We use ours a lot for salad
leaves which are too bulky to clean in
our saucepans You can also use the
Ortlieb 10 Litre Folding BowlBy FRIEDEL GRANT
Friedel amp Andrew Grantrsquos extensive website
wwwtravellingtwocom contains their tripreports resources for bicycle travelers andthe e-book ldquoBike Touring Survival Guiderdquo
bowl as an extra serving dish We often
make and dress our salads directly in it
Itrsquos hard to think of a day where we
donrsquot use our Ortlieb Bowl When it isnrsquot
being put to work it folds up into a tri-
angle and sits on top of our camping
mattresses which lie across Friedelrsquos
two back panniers So howrsquos it holding
up After 2 years of constant use our
bowl is showing some signs of wear but
nothing that stops us using it as we wantto The sides are a little saggy but it still
maintains the bowl shape A small hole
did develop in the bottom along the fold
lines of the bowl but we patched it with
our puncture repair kit and havenrsquot had a
problem since
ORTLIEB 10 LITRE FOLDING BOWLWEIGHT 92 OZ (260 GR)
BT
For more information on the folding bowl
see wwwortliebde
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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IcelandWillem Megens and Rudi Verhagen experienceIcelandrsquos dramatic landscape as they cycle
around the Vatnajoumlkull glacierPhotos WILLEM MEGENS amp RUDI VERHAGEN
PHOTO STORY
Photo WILLEM MEGENS
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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65
4
3
2
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1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
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As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
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SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
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Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
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STORIES
E QUIPMENT
hoto Left PAUL JEURISSEN
over Photo ED BRABANDER httpmembershomenledmyrthe
CONTENTS
C OLUMN
P HOTOGRAPHY
INTERVIEW
BicycleTraveler
QUOTES
20
THE SPEEDSTERS By Steve Fabes34
TRUCKER TRACES By Andrew Morgan08
CALIFORNIAN BEAUTY By Hanna Mi Jakobson
22
PHOTO STORY - ICELAND By Willem Megens amp Rudi Verhagen14
TEST WALKSTOOL COMFORT By Tyler Kellen12
TRIP GEAR By Grace Johnson10
26 IMAGE FROM THE ROAD - CHINA By Benjamin Jacob
24 JOSIE DEW - C YCLING THROUGH FRANCE By Lynette Eyb
38 PARTING SHOT -BOLIVIA By Fearghal OrsquoNuallain
06
28 IMAGE FROM THE ROAD - UGANDA By Fabian Nawrath
TEST ORTLIEB FOLDING BOWL By Friedel Grant 13
32 WHAT DO C YCLISTS MISS ON THEIR TRIPS By Various Authors
THE ROAD By Fearghal OrsquoNuallain
GOODBYE BANGKOK By Rob Halkett
30 IMAGE FROM THE ROAD - INDIA By Paul Jeurissen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Bicycle Traveler is copyright
Grace Johnson All material has
been used with permission and is
copyright original sources
Th atic pbihd ct th
opinions of their respective authors
and are not necessarily
those of the editor
COPYRIGHT
CONTACT
infobicycletravelernl
DISCLAIMER
Grace Johns
W w ovwhmd by th thiatic po to o t i of Bicyc
Traveler ndash 15000 downloads Then again maybe we shouldnrsquot be surprisedBicycle travelers are passionate about exploring the world and enjoy reading the ad-
ventures of others
Yet who is a bicycle traveler Is it someone who races around the world May-
be not according to this editionrsquos columnist Steve Fabes (p34) Irishman Fearghal
OrsquoNuallain writes about missing ldquothe roadrdquo (p6) but do cyclists long for the same
things when they are on it It turns out what they miss (p32) is as varied as the coun-
tries they travel through
From the editor
EDITOR
Grace Johnson
P h o t o s P A
U L J E U R I S S E N
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Someday all of this will come to an end the sleep-
ing rough chiseled calves calloused arse tak-
ing 8 hours of exercise a day wearing the same
clothes for two weeks straight having an interesting topic
for conversation worrying about incline gradient and
road surfaces eating like a horse being able to eat a
horse not knowing the name of the town Irsquom in forgetting
the name of the person Irsquom spending the night with cy-cling another twenty km till lunch to save 50 cents living
out of a waterproof bag in a steel trailer saying Irlanda
30 times a day saying nononnietnine not Hollandahellip
Irrrrrrlanda assessing the quality of a book by its size
and weight as well as its content wondering why anyone
would ever wear clothes that are not waterproofbreath-
ablequick dryinglightthermal
Someday Irsquoll be home Irsquoll have a fridge a cooker a
shower a cupboard and a bed Irsquoll be able to close a door
and be by myself talk to people in complex English with
an Irish accent using colloquialisms slang and very spe-
cic Aa Patidg fc Irsquo b ab to gt ot of my
bed and not have to pack it away and go to bed without
waiting for darkness or asking some onersquos permission Irsquoll
hav to gt p at a pcic tim ad do tak that om-
one else dictates Irsquoll have a phone and a set of keys
Someday my life will be normal again and uninterest-ing and Irsquoll probably miss my stop on the train because I
was daydreaming about when I lived on a special simple
world called the road
Road
The
- Fearghal ONuallain
Fearghal and Simon Evans are the rst Irish cyclists tocircumnavigate the globe You can read their trip reports athttprevolutioncycleie
P h o t o P A u l J e
u r I s s e n
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Truckers who traverse the long
barren stretches of desert tarmac
in Chilersquos Atacama Desert do so
much like male dogs canvassing city
blocksndashthey leavehellipuhhhellipbits of them-selveshellipeverywhere they go
Itrsquos impossible to take in an Atacama
viewndashthe scattered black moon rocks
the bone-colored sand dunes the moun-
tains that look as if theyrsquove been ripped
straight out of a Dali landscapendashwithout
oticig th cffd haf-d pa-
tic bottles as well Theyrsquore everywhere (sometimes one can be spotted every
100 yad) ad thyrsquo a d with th
am thig p
Thatrsquos right
P fok
The driest place on Earth is turning
out to be not such a dry a place after all
Itrsquos saturated almost with the urine ofpassing truckers
Thankfully truckers in this part of the
world create urine in hundreds of shades
of solely yellow and orange all hues that
blend nicely with the shifting shades of
the Atacamarsquos sands I have not once
spotted a bottle of the tell-tale bright
green urine of a daily-multi-vitamin-tak-
er Nor have I seen a container weighed
down with the dark brown amber pee of
a Coca-Cola-junkie I donrsquot know what
these drivers are eating and drinking but
whatever it is itrsquos stuff that keeps their
pee Atacama-colored
The problem rests with the plastic
bottles They give the place the feelingof a toilet bowl raised to the power of
two tah ca P th tadim aft
a soccer match minus 10 redwoods In
the middle of the desert in the center of
what should be one of the worldrsquos most
unique arid human-less places I see
liquid traces of lazy men (Irsquom making an
assumption here I know but I think itrsquos a
af o Oy m div ad p at th
same time) Instead of natural nothing-
ness Irsquom seeing lots of human stuff-nessI mt admit thogh sig a of
these bottles of trucker pee all over the
place has inspired my mind to delve into
areas of thought into which it never dared
venture before These are some of the
things I think about when I pass bottle
aft bott of Atacama tck p
1 How in the world do these guys
manage to pee into such small bottles
ad div at th am tim ray how
They must I assume carry (and hopefully
Trucker TracesStory amp Photo ANDREW MORGAN
Cyclist Andrew Morgan discovers that the Atacama desert isnrsquot completely dry
ldquoThatrsquos right
Pee folksrdquo
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wash every once in a while) funnels
2 Wow that one was incredibly
orange I never in my life have seen that
shade of orange before in pee or any-
where else I wonder if that guyrsquos OK
3 That bottle is so full it clearly has
been used many many times In between
uses for a few weeks where does he
to it I a cp hod ud hi at
4 If Chilean energy drink companies
were smart (are there any Chilean en-
ergy drink companies) they would send
scientists out into the desert to collect
samples from as many bottles of truck-
er pee as possible From the samplestheyrsquod be able to tell what nutrients and
other stuff truckers are lacking in their di-
t Pttig th thig ito a pcica-
ly-designed-for-truckers drink would cre-
ate a hit product one with an uncanny
ability to leave truckers feeling refreshed
5 Hy coondashomo d a mo-
ade bottle with pee that looks exactly likelemonade I mean
exactly Hmmmmhellip
actual lyhellipmaybe
itrsquos just a big bottle
of lemonade that
someone couldnrsquot
ih Wod it b
too risky to openthe thing and smell
it to see if maybe
it is lemonade and
maybe maybe I
could drink it Hmm-
mm Hmmmm Yes
Too iky Dity
6 uggggh I hat
seeing all of this
trash everywhere
If I wa Pidt
Read about Andrew Morganrsquos year-and-a-half long ride through the Americas at
wwwTeacherontwowheelscom A bookabout his trip is due out in 2012
BT
of Chile Irsquod create a pee-bottle recycling
program complete with incentives and
all For each ounce of pee you brought to
a recycling center yoursquod get some sort of
food A piece of carrot cake Or a donut
Not a drink of course but food
If you are a Chilean trucker please for
the love of the two or three animals that
call the Atacama home and all the tourists
all 10 of them who ride bicycles across
it each year please donrsquot throw bottles
of pee out your window while you drive
Stop get out of the truck take a breath
of fresh air and pee into the sand like ev-
eryone else
Thank you Gracias
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TRIP GEAR
Escaping the dark winter months by
touring Morocco or Mexico is fun but
gttig bt aft yo t day
of cycling isnrsquot Scape is a waterproof
sweat proof sunscreen which will not
rub off and run into your eyes It also
ha th hight uVA potctio of a
sunscreens on the market
Price $1499 US
wwwscapelabscom
Advanced Sunscreen
Th Motai Hadwa utalamia
32 sleeping bag weighs just 1 lb15 oz
(870 gr) and packs down to approximately6 inches (17 cm) long It is designed for
damp cool conditions and is rated to 37
degrees F (3 C)
Price $190 US
Synthetic Sleeping Bag
Sololite One Person TentThe Wild Country Sololite is an inex-
pensive all-season solo tent It weighs
4 lb 35 oz (less than 2 kg) and is over
7 feet (220 cm) long
Price $17849 US
wwwterra-novacouk
A look at equipment for bicycle travelersBy GRACE JOHNSON
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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The Scrubr is a synthetic scouring pad
for cleaning your cooking gear Itrsquos
lightweight odor resistant and drips dry
in minutes The makers of Scrubr write
ldquoWe developed it because we weretired of having to throw away stinky
sponges after one camping triprdquo
Price $275 US
httplunatecgearcom
Scrubr Scouring Pad
Many Asian countries are full of cheaphotels so itrsquos tempting to leave your
camping gear at home Still if you become
stranded a cold night in the open can be
extremely uncomfortable An alternative
i to cay th sOl emgcy Bivy Itrsquo
made from the same material as space
bakt which ct 90 of yo body
heat back to youThe bag packs smalland weighs 38 oz (107 gr)
Price $50 US
wwwadventuremedicalkitscom
Emergency Bivy Bag
TrendyDigitalrsquos SplashGuard case is a
padded pouch with a protective screen
Itrsquos also resistant to water and dust You
can operate the keyboard and naviga-
tion button of your Kindle right through
the case It weighs 45 oz (128 gr) and
the company also makes protective
ca fo th iPad
Price $1599 US
httptrendydigitalcom
Kindle Protection
EQUIPMENT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Amonth before we left on our round
the world trip I began thinking ldquowhat
are we going to sit onrdquo After talking it
over with Tara (my wife) we decided our
requirements for a chair were (in order
of impotac) compact iz comfot-
able to sit in and (hopefully) very light
I started at the tip of the camp seatingiceberg by looking what Id used during
a my ai famiy campig tip tho
foldable chairs movie directors are sup-
posed to sit in I found big ones comi-
cally small ones wooden ones steel
ones aluminum ones and countless oth-
er variations before realizing the solution
had to lay elsewhere Delving deeper Idiscovered a dizzying array of options
including hundreds of folding chairs a
weird collapsible sling we tried it it was
awful) chairs with more moving parts
tha a ca ad ay gttig co ot
of th ggd o that md to t
the bill except they were all rather large
Once Id decided that a three leggedchair had the most potential I started
looking for one with telescoping legs I
knew it had to exist It took a lot of hunt-
ing but I eventually found the Swedish
made Walkstool and it had everything
w watd ma coapd iz vy
comfortable seating and thanks to its
amim cotctio ight wight O
of the things I like most about the Walk-
stool is that you can sit on it when the
legs arent extended the perfect height
for working on the drivetrain of your bi-
cycle or preparing dinner on the ground
After six months of use and abuse they
look brand new and work just as well as
they day they arrived at our doorstep I
oy hav o gativ thig to pot
they need better advertising
Walkstool Comfort
WALKSTOOL COMFORT
HEIGHT 18 IN (45 CM)
FOLDED LENGTH 11 IN (28 CM)
WEIGHT 26 OZ (725 GR)
MAXIMUM LOAD 440 LBS (200 KG)
By TYLER KELLEN
Tyler Kellen amp Tara Alan spent two yearscycling around the world Their websitewwwgoingslowlycom is the scrapbook of
their adventures together
GEAR REVIEWS
For further information on the Walkstool
Comfort see wwwwalkstoolcom
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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EQUIPMENT
S
ometimes itrsquos hard to separate the
important accessories from the friv-
olous ones when choosing what to take
on a tour For a long time we put Ort-
liebrsquos 10 litre folding bowl in the sec-
ond category We couldnrsquot imagine why
we needed one
It wasnrsquot until we met a couple with not
one but two folding bowls on tour that we
reconsidered our decisionSince then the
bowl (which comes in 5 litre and 20 litre siz-es as well) has been one of our most reg-
ularly used items What do we use it for
Doig lady sik a oft with-
out plugs or if yoursquore camping you may
not have access to a sink at all The bowl
is great for doing laundry in and you can
fold it together with the clothes inside to
help squeeze out excess waterCoctig wat fo tig W gt
a large amount of water together in the
bow to t ito o bott wh wrsquo
in places where we canrsquot trust the water
showig u th bow to cay v-
erything you need for your shower back
and forth between the bathrooms and
the tent If yoursquore wild camping you canalso use the bowl to collect water from a
stream or river for a bucket shower
Washing Dishes Throw them all in
with a little dish soap and you have an
instant sink or just use the bowl to carry
everything to the washing area
Cleaning Food You can throw large
quantities of vegetables in the bowl to
be washed We use ours a lot for salad
leaves which are too bulky to clean in
our saucepans You can also use the
Ortlieb 10 Litre Folding BowlBy FRIEDEL GRANT
Friedel amp Andrew Grantrsquos extensive website
wwwtravellingtwocom contains their tripreports resources for bicycle travelers andthe e-book ldquoBike Touring Survival Guiderdquo
bowl as an extra serving dish We often
make and dress our salads directly in it
Itrsquos hard to think of a day where we
donrsquot use our Ortlieb Bowl When it isnrsquot
being put to work it folds up into a tri-
angle and sits on top of our camping
mattresses which lie across Friedelrsquos
two back panniers So howrsquos it holding
up After 2 years of constant use our
bowl is showing some signs of wear but
nothing that stops us using it as we wantto The sides are a little saggy but it still
maintains the bowl shape A small hole
did develop in the bottom along the fold
lines of the bowl but we patched it with
our puncture repair kit and havenrsquot had a
problem since
ORTLIEB 10 LITRE FOLDING BOWLWEIGHT 92 OZ (260 GR)
BT
For more information on the folding bowl
see wwwortliebde
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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IcelandWillem Megens and Rudi Verhagen experienceIcelandrsquos dramatic landscape as they cycle
around the Vatnajoumlkull glacierPhotos WILLEM MEGENS amp RUDI VERHAGEN
PHOTO STORY
Photo WILLEM MEGENS
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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65
4
3
2
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
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As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Bicycle Traveler is copyright
Grace Johnson All material has
been used with permission and is
copyright original sources
Th atic pbihd ct th
opinions of their respective authors
and are not necessarily
those of the editor
COPYRIGHT
CONTACT
infobicycletravelernl
DISCLAIMER
Grace Johns
W w ovwhmd by th thiatic po to o t i of Bicyc
Traveler ndash 15000 downloads Then again maybe we shouldnrsquot be surprisedBicycle travelers are passionate about exploring the world and enjoy reading the ad-
ventures of others
Yet who is a bicycle traveler Is it someone who races around the world May-
be not according to this editionrsquos columnist Steve Fabes (p34) Irishman Fearghal
OrsquoNuallain writes about missing ldquothe roadrdquo (p6) but do cyclists long for the same
things when they are on it It turns out what they miss (p32) is as varied as the coun-
tries they travel through
From the editor
EDITOR
Grace Johnson
P h o t o s P A
U L J E U R I S S E N
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Someday all of this will come to an end the sleep-
ing rough chiseled calves calloused arse tak-
ing 8 hours of exercise a day wearing the same
clothes for two weeks straight having an interesting topic
for conversation worrying about incline gradient and
road surfaces eating like a horse being able to eat a
horse not knowing the name of the town Irsquom in forgetting
the name of the person Irsquom spending the night with cy-cling another twenty km till lunch to save 50 cents living
out of a waterproof bag in a steel trailer saying Irlanda
30 times a day saying nononnietnine not Hollandahellip
Irrrrrrlanda assessing the quality of a book by its size
and weight as well as its content wondering why anyone
would ever wear clothes that are not waterproofbreath-
ablequick dryinglightthermal
Someday Irsquoll be home Irsquoll have a fridge a cooker a
shower a cupboard and a bed Irsquoll be able to close a door
and be by myself talk to people in complex English with
an Irish accent using colloquialisms slang and very spe-
cic Aa Patidg fc Irsquo b ab to gt ot of my
bed and not have to pack it away and go to bed without
waiting for darkness or asking some onersquos permission Irsquoll
hav to gt p at a pcic tim ad do tak that om-
one else dictates Irsquoll have a phone and a set of keys
Someday my life will be normal again and uninterest-ing and Irsquoll probably miss my stop on the train because I
was daydreaming about when I lived on a special simple
world called the road
Road
The
- Fearghal ONuallain
Fearghal and Simon Evans are the rst Irish cyclists tocircumnavigate the globe You can read their trip reports athttprevolutioncycleie
P h o t o P A u l J e
u r I s s e n
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Truckers who traverse the long
barren stretches of desert tarmac
in Chilersquos Atacama Desert do so
much like male dogs canvassing city
blocksndashthey leavehellipuhhhellipbits of them-selveshellipeverywhere they go
Itrsquos impossible to take in an Atacama
viewndashthe scattered black moon rocks
the bone-colored sand dunes the moun-
tains that look as if theyrsquove been ripped
straight out of a Dali landscapendashwithout
oticig th cffd haf-d pa-
tic bottles as well Theyrsquore everywhere (sometimes one can be spotted every
100 yad) ad thyrsquo a d with th
am thig p
Thatrsquos right
P fok
The driest place on Earth is turning
out to be not such a dry a place after all
Itrsquos saturated almost with the urine ofpassing truckers
Thankfully truckers in this part of the
world create urine in hundreds of shades
of solely yellow and orange all hues that
blend nicely with the shifting shades of
the Atacamarsquos sands I have not once
spotted a bottle of the tell-tale bright
green urine of a daily-multi-vitamin-tak-
er Nor have I seen a container weighed
down with the dark brown amber pee of
a Coca-Cola-junkie I donrsquot know what
these drivers are eating and drinking but
whatever it is itrsquos stuff that keeps their
pee Atacama-colored
The problem rests with the plastic
bottles They give the place the feelingof a toilet bowl raised to the power of
two tah ca P th tadim aft
a soccer match minus 10 redwoods In
the middle of the desert in the center of
what should be one of the worldrsquos most
unique arid human-less places I see
liquid traces of lazy men (Irsquom making an
assumption here I know but I think itrsquos a
af o Oy m div ad p at th
same time) Instead of natural nothing-
ness Irsquom seeing lots of human stuff-nessI mt admit thogh sig a of
these bottles of trucker pee all over the
place has inspired my mind to delve into
areas of thought into which it never dared
venture before These are some of the
things I think about when I pass bottle
aft bott of Atacama tck p
1 How in the world do these guys
manage to pee into such small bottles
ad div at th am tim ray how
They must I assume carry (and hopefully
Trucker TracesStory amp Photo ANDREW MORGAN
Cyclist Andrew Morgan discovers that the Atacama desert isnrsquot completely dry
ldquoThatrsquos right
Pee folksrdquo
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wash every once in a while) funnels
2 Wow that one was incredibly
orange I never in my life have seen that
shade of orange before in pee or any-
where else I wonder if that guyrsquos OK
3 That bottle is so full it clearly has
been used many many times In between
uses for a few weeks where does he
to it I a cp hod ud hi at
4 If Chilean energy drink companies
were smart (are there any Chilean en-
ergy drink companies) they would send
scientists out into the desert to collect
samples from as many bottles of truck-
er pee as possible From the samplestheyrsquod be able to tell what nutrients and
other stuff truckers are lacking in their di-
t Pttig th thig ito a pcica-
ly-designed-for-truckers drink would cre-
ate a hit product one with an uncanny
ability to leave truckers feeling refreshed
5 Hy coondashomo d a mo-
ade bottle with pee that looks exactly likelemonade I mean
exactly Hmmmmhellip
actual lyhellipmaybe
itrsquos just a big bottle
of lemonade that
someone couldnrsquot
ih Wod it b
too risky to openthe thing and smell
it to see if maybe
it is lemonade and
maybe maybe I
could drink it Hmm-
mm Hmmmm Yes
Too iky Dity
6 uggggh I hat
seeing all of this
trash everywhere
If I wa Pidt
Read about Andrew Morganrsquos year-and-a-half long ride through the Americas at
wwwTeacherontwowheelscom A bookabout his trip is due out in 2012
BT
of Chile Irsquod create a pee-bottle recycling
program complete with incentives and
all For each ounce of pee you brought to
a recycling center yoursquod get some sort of
food A piece of carrot cake Or a donut
Not a drink of course but food
If you are a Chilean trucker please for
the love of the two or three animals that
call the Atacama home and all the tourists
all 10 of them who ride bicycles across
it each year please donrsquot throw bottles
of pee out your window while you drive
Stop get out of the truck take a breath
of fresh air and pee into the sand like ev-
eryone else
Thank you Gracias
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TRIP GEAR
Escaping the dark winter months by
touring Morocco or Mexico is fun but
gttig bt aft yo t day
of cycling isnrsquot Scape is a waterproof
sweat proof sunscreen which will not
rub off and run into your eyes It also
ha th hight uVA potctio of a
sunscreens on the market
Price $1499 US
wwwscapelabscom
Advanced Sunscreen
Th Motai Hadwa utalamia
32 sleeping bag weighs just 1 lb15 oz
(870 gr) and packs down to approximately6 inches (17 cm) long It is designed for
damp cool conditions and is rated to 37
degrees F (3 C)
Price $190 US
Synthetic Sleeping Bag
Sololite One Person TentThe Wild Country Sololite is an inex-
pensive all-season solo tent It weighs
4 lb 35 oz (less than 2 kg) and is over
7 feet (220 cm) long
Price $17849 US
wwwterra-novacouk
A look at equipment for bicycle travelersBy GRACE JOHNSON
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The Scrubr is a synthetic scouring pad
for cleaning your cooking gear Itrsquos
lightweight odor resistant and drips dry
in minutes The makers of Scrubr write
ldquoWe developed it because we weretired of having to throw away stinky
sponges after one camping triprdquo
Price $275 US
httplunatecgearcom
Scrubr Scouring Pad
Many Asian countries are full of cheaphotels so itrsquos tempting to leave your
camping gear at home Still if you become
stranded a cold night in the open can be
extremely uncomfortable An alternative
i to cay th sOl emgcy Bivy Itrsquo
made from the same material as space
bakt which ct 90 of yo body
heat back to youThe bag packs smalland weighs 38 oz (107 gr)
Price $50 US
wwwadventuremedicalkitscom
Emergency Bivy Bag
TrendyDigitalrsquos SplashGuard case is a
padded pouch with a protective screen
Itrsquos also resistant to water and dust You
can operate the keyboard and naviga-
tion button of your Kindle right through
the case It weighs 45 oz (128 gr) and
the company also makes protective
ca fo th iPad
Price $1599 US
httptrendydigitalcom
Kindle Protection
EQUIPMENT
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Amonth before we left on our round
the world trip I began thinking ldquowhat
are we going to sit onrdquo After talking it
over with Tara (my wife) we decided our
requirements for a chair were (in order
of impotac) compact iz comfot-
able to sit in and (hopefully) very light
I started at the tip of the camp seatingiceberg by looking what Id used during
a my ai famiy campig tip tho
foldable chairs movie directors are sup-
posed to sit in I found big ones comi-
cally small ones wooden ones steel
ones aluminum ones and countless oth-
er variations before realizing the solution
had to lay elsewhere Delving deeper Idiscovered a dizzying array of options
including hundreds of folding chairs a
weird collapsible sling we tried it it was
awful) chairs with more moving parts
tha a ca ad ay gttig co ot
of th ggd o that md to t
the bill except they were all rather large
Once Id decided that a three leggedchair had the most potential I started
looking for one with telescoping legs I
knew it had to exist It took a lot of hunt-
ing but I eventually found the Swedish
made Walkstool and it had everything
w watd ma coapd iz vy
comfortable seating and thanks to its
amim cotctio ight wight O
of the things I like most about the Walk-
stool is that you can sit on it when the
legs arent extended the perfect height
for working on the drivetrain of your bi-
cycle or preparing dinner on the ground
After six months of use and abuse they
look brand new and work just as well as
they day they arrived at our doorstep I
oy hav o gativ thig to pot
they need better advertising
Walkstool Comfort
WALKSTOOL COMFORT
HEIGHT 18 IN (45 CM)
FOLDED LENGTH 11 IN (28 CM)
WEIGHT 26 OZ (725 GR)
MAXIMUM LOAD 440 LBS (200 KG)
By TYLER KELLEN
Tyler Kellen amp Tara Alan spent two yearscycling around the world Their websitewwwgoingslowlycom is the scrapbook of
their adventures together
GEAR REVIEWS
For further information on the Walkstool
Comfort see wwwwalkstoolcom
BT
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EQUIPMENT
S
ometimes itrsquos hard to separate the
important accessories from the friv-
olous ones when choosing what to take
on a tour For a long time we put Ort-
liebrsquos 10 litre folding bowl in the sec-
ond category We couldnrsquot imagine why
we needed one
It wasnrsquot until we met a couple with not
one but two folding bowls on tour that we
reconsidered our decisionSince then the
bowl (which comes in 5 litre and 20 litre siz-es as well) has been one of our most reg-
ularly used items What do we use it for
Doig lady sik a oft with-
out plugs or if yoursquore camping you may
not have access to a sink at all The bowl
is great for doing laundry in and you can
fold it together with the clothes inside to
help squeeze out excess waterCoctig wat fo tig W gt
a large amount of water together in the
bow to t ito o bott wh wrsquo
in places where we canrsquot trust the water
showig u th bow to cay v-
erything you need for your shower back
and forth between the bathrooms and
the tent If yoursquore wild camping you canalso use the bowl to collect water from a
stream or river for a bucket shower
Washing Dishes Throw them all in
with a little dish soap and you have an
instant sink or just use the bowl to carry
everything to the washing area
Cleaning Food You can throw large
quantities of vegetables in the bowl to
be washed We use ours a lot for salad
leaves which are too bulky to clean in
our saucepans You can also use the
Ortlieb 10 Litre Folding BowlBy FRIEDEL GRANT
Friedel amp Andrew Grantrsquos extensive website
wwwtravellingtwocom contains their tripreports resources for bicycle travelers andthe e-book ldquoBike Touring Survival Guiderdquo
bowl as an extra serving dish We often
make and dress our salads directly in it
Itrsquos hard to think of a day where we
donrsquot use our Ortlieb Bowl When it isnrsquot
being put to work it folds up into a tri-
angle and sits on top of our camping
mattresses which lie across Friedelrsquos
two back panniers So howrsquos it holding
up After 2 years of constant use our
bowl is showing some signs of wear but
nothing that stops us using it as we wantto The sides are a little saggy but it still
maintains the bowl shape A small hole
did develop in the bottom along the fold
lines of the bowl but we patched it with
our puncture repair kit and havenrsquot had a
problem since
ORTLIEB 10 LITRE FOLDING BOWLWEIGHT 92 OZ (260 GR)
BT
For more information on the folding bowl
see wwwortliebde
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IcelandWillem Megens and Rudi Verhagen experienceIcelandrsquos dramatic landscape as they cycle
around the Vatnajoumlkull glacierPhotos WILLEM MEGENS amp RUDI VERHAGEN
PHOTO STORY
Photo WILLEM MEGENS
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Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
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65
4
3
2
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1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
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Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
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P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
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As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
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looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
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INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
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BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
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FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
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SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
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Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
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Someday all of this will come to an end the sleep-
ing rough chiseled calves calloused arse tak-
ing 8 hours of exercise a day wearing the same
clothes for two weeks straight having an interesting topic
for conversation worrying about incline gradient and
road surfaces eating like a horse being able to eat a
horse not knowing the name of the town Irsquom in forgetting
the name of the person Irsquom spending the night with cy-cling another twenty km till lunch to save 50 cents living
out of a waterproof bag in a steel trailer saying Irlanda
30 times a day saying nononnietnine not Hollandahellip
Irrrrrrlanda assessing the quality of a book by its size
and weight as well as its content wondering why anyone
would ever wear clothes that are not waterproofbreath-
ablequick dryinglightthermal
Someday Irsquoll be home Irsquoll have a fridge a cooker a
shower a cupboard and a bed Irsquoll be able to close a door
and be by myself talk to people in complex English with
an Irish accent using colloquialisms slang and very spe-
cic Aa Patidg fc Irsquo b ab to gt ot of my
bed and not have to pack it away and go to bed without
waiting for darkness or asking some onersquos permission Irsquoll
hav to gt p at a pcic tim ad do tak that om-
one else dictates Irsquoll have a phone and a set of keys
Someday my life will be normal again and uninterest-ing and Irsquoll probably miss my stop on the train because I
was daydreaming about when I lived on a special simple
world called the road
Road
The
- Fearghal ONuallain
Fearghal and Simon Evans are the rst Irish cyclists tocircumnavigate the globe You can read their trip reports athttprevolutioncycleie
P h o t o P A u l J e
u r I s s e n
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Truckers who traverse the long
barren stretches of desert tarmac
in Chilersquos Atacama Desert do so
much like male dogs canvassing city
blocksndashthey leavehellipuhhhellipbits of them-selveshellipeverywhere they go
Itrsquos impossible to take in an Atacama
viewndashthe scattered black moon rocks
the bone-colored sand dunes the moun-
tains that look as if theyrsquove been ripped
straight out of a Dali landscapendashwithout
oticig th cffd haf-d pa-
tic bottles as well Theyrsquore everywhere (sometimes one can be spotted every
100 yad) ad thyrsquo a d with th
am thig p
Thatrsquos right
P fok
The driest place on Earth is turning
out to be not such a dry a place after all
Itrsquos saturated almost with the urine ofpassing truckers
Thankfully truckers in this part of the
world create urine in hundreds of shades
of solely yellow and orange all hues that
blend nicely with the shifting shades of
the Atacamarsquos sands I have not once
spotted a bottle of the tell-tale bright
green urine of a daily-multi-vitamin-tak-
er Nor have I seen a container weighed
down with the dark brown amber pee of
a Coca-Cola-junkie I donrsquot know what
these drivers are eating and drinking but
whatever it is itrsquos stuff that keeps their
pee Atacama-colored
The problem rests with the plastic
bottles They give the place the feelingof a toilet bowl raised to the power of
two tah ca P th tadim aft
a soccer match minus 10 redwoods In
the middle of the desert in the center of
what should be one of the worldrsquos most
unique arid human-less places I see
liquid traces of lazy men (Irsquom making an
assumption here I know but I think itrsquos a
af o Oy m div ad p at th
same time) Instead of natural nothing-
ness Irsquom seeing lots of human stuff-nessI mt admit thogh sig a of
these bottles of trucker pee all over the
place has inspired my mind to delve into
areas of thought into which it never dared
venture before These are some of the
things I think about when I pass bottle
aft bott of Atacama tck p
1 How in the world do these guys
manage to pee into such small bottles
ad div at th am tim ray how
They must I assume carry (and hopefully
Trucker TracesStory amp Photo ANDREW MORGAN
Cyclist Andrew Morgan discovers that the Atacama desert isnrsquot completely dry
ldquoThatrsquos right
Pee folksrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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wash every once in a while) funnels
2 Wow that one was incredibly
orange I never in my life have seen that
shade of orange before in pee or any-
where else I wonder if that guyrsquos OK
3 That bottle is so full it clearly has
been used many many times In between
uses for a few weeks where does he
to it I a cp hod ud hi at
4 If Chilean energy drink companies
were smart (are there any Chilean en-
ergy drink companies) they would send
scientists out into the desert to collect
samples from as many bottles of truck-
er pee as possible From the samplestheyrsquod be able to tell what nutrients and
other stuff truckers are lacking in their di-
t Pttig th thig ito a pcica-
ly-designed-for-truckers drink would cre-
ate a hit product one with an uncanny
ability to leave truckers feeling refreshed
5 Hy coondashomo d a mo-
ade bottle with pee that looks exactly likelemonade I mean
exactly Hmmmmhellip
actual lyhellipmaybe
itrsquos just a big bottle
of lemonade that
someone couldnrsquot
ih Wod it b
too risky to openthe thing and smell
it to see if maybe
it is lemonade and
maybe maybe I
could drink it Hmm-
mm Hmmmm Yes
Too iky Dity
6 uggggh I hat
seeing all of this
trash everywhere
If I wa Pidt
Read about Andrew Morganrsquos year-and-a-half long ride through the Americas at
wwwTeacherontwowheelscom A bookabout his trip is due out in 2012
BT
of Chile Irsquod create a pee-bottle recycling
program complete with incentives and
all For each ounce of pee you brought to
a recycling center yoursquod get some sort of
food A piece of carrot cake Or a donut
Not a drink of course but food
If you are a Chilean trucker please for
the love of the two or three animals that
call the Atacama home and all the tourists
all 10 of them who ride bicycles across
it each year please donrsquot throw bottles
of pee out your window while you drive
Stop get out of the truck take a breath
of fresh air and pee into the sand like ev-
eryone else
Thank you Gracias
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TRIP GEAR
Escaping the dark winter months by
touring Morocco or Mexico is fun but
gttig bt aft yo t day
of cycling isnrsquot Scape is a waterproof
sweat proof sunscreen which will not
rub off and run into your eyes It also
ha th hight uVA potctio of a
sunscreens on the market
Price $1499 US
wwwscapelabscom
Advanced Sunscreen
Th Motai Hadwa utalamia
32 sleeping bag weighs just 1 lb15 oz
(870 gr) and packs down to approximately6 inches (17 cm) long It is designed for
damp cool conditions and is rated to 37
degrees F (3 C)
Price $190 US
Synthetic Sleeping Bag
Sololite One Person TentThe Wild Country Sololite is an inex-
pensive all-season solo tent It weighs
4 lb 35 oz (less than 2 kg) and is over
7 feet (220 cm) long
Price $17849 US
wwwterra-novacouk
A look at equipment for bicycle travelersBy GRACE JOHNSON
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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The Scrubr is a synthetic scouring pad
for cleaning your cooking gear Itrsquos
lightweight odor resistant and drips dry
in minutes The makers of Scrubr write
ldquoWe developed it because we weretired of having to throw away stinky
sponges after one camping triprdquo
Price $275 US
httplunatecgearcom
Scrubr Scouring Pad
Many Asian countries are full of cheaphotels so itrsquos tempting to leave your
camping gear at home Still if you become
stranded a cold night in the open can be
extremely uncomfortable An alternative
i to cay th sOl emgcy Bivy Itrsquo
made from the same material as space
bakt which ct 90 of yo body
heat back to youThe bag packs smalland weighs 38 oz (107 gr)
Price $50 US
wwwadventuremedicalkitscom
Emergency Bivy Bag
TrendyDigitalrsquos SplashGuard case is a
padded pouch with a protective screen
Itrsquos also resistant to water and dust You
can operate the keyboard and naviga-
tion button of your Kindle right through
the case It weighs 45 oz (128 gr) and
the company also makes protective
ca fo th iPad
Price $1599 US
httptrendydigitalcom
Kindle Protection
EQUIPMENT
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Amonth before we left on our round
the world trip I began thinking ldquowhat
are we going to sit onrdquo After talking it
over with Tara (my wife) we decided our
requirements for a chair were (in order
of impotac) compact iz comfot-
able to sit in and (hopefully) very light
I started at the tip of the camp seatingiceberg by looking what Id used during
a my ai famiy campig tip tho
foldable chairs movie directors are sup-
posed to sit in I found big ones comi-
cally small ones wooden ones steel
ones aluminum ones and countless oth-
er variations before realizing the solution
had to lay elsewhere Delving deeper Idiscovered a dizzying array of options
including hundreds of folding chairs a
weird collapsible sling we tried it it was
awful) chairs with more moving parts
tha a ca ad ay gttig co ot
of th ggd o that md to t
the bill except they were all rather large
Once Id decided that a three leggedchair had the most potential I started
looking for one with telescoping legs I
knew it had to exist It took a lot of hunt-
ing but I eventually found the Swedish
made Walkstool and it had everything
w watd ma coapd iz vy
comfortable seating and thanks to its
amim cotctio ight wight O
of the things I like most about the Walk-
stool is that you can sit on it when the
legs arent extended the perfect height
for working on the drivetrain of your bi-
cycle or preparing dinner on the ground
After six months of use and abuse they
look brand new and work just as well as
they day they arrived at our doorstep I
oy hav o gativ thig to pot
they need better advertising
Walkstool Comfort
WALKSTOOL COMFORT
HEIGHT 18 IN (45 CM)
FOLDED LENGTH 11 IN (28 CM)
WEIGHT 26 OZ (725 GR)
MAXIMUM LOAD 440 LBS (200 KG)
By TYLER KELLEN
Tyler Kellen amp Tara Alan spent two yearscycling around the world Their websitewwwgoingslowlycom is the scrapbook of
their adventures together
GEAR REVIEWS
For further information on the Walkstool
Comfort see wwwwalkstoolcom
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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EQUIPMENT
S
ometimes itrsquos hard to separate the
important accessories from the friv-
olous ones when choosing what to take
on a tour For a long time we put Ort-
liebrsquos 10 litre folding bowl in the sec-
ond category We couldnrsquot imagine why
we needed one
It wasnrsquot until we met a couple with not
one but two folding bowls on tour that we
reconsidered our decisionSince then the
bowl (which comes in 5 litre and 20 litre siz-es as well) has been one of our most reg-
ularly used items What do we use it for
Doig lady sik a oft with-
out plugs or if yoursquore camping you may
not have access to a sink at all The bowl
is great for doing laundry in and you can
fold it together with the clothes inside to
help squeeze out excess waterCoctig wat fo tig W gt
a large amount of water together in the
bow to t ito o bott wh wrsquo
in places where we canrsquot trust the water
showig u th bow to cay v-
erything you need for your shower back
and forth between the bathrooms and
the tent If yoursquore wild camping you canalso use the bowl to collect water from a
stream or river for a bucket shower
Washing Dishes Throw them all in
with a little dish soap and you have an
instant sink or just use the bowl to carry
everything to the washing area
Cleaning Food You can throw large
quantities of vegetables in the bowl to
be washed We use ours a lot for salad
leaves which are too bulky to clean in
our saucepans You can also use the
Ortlieb 10 Litre Folding BowlBy FRIEDEL GRANT
Friedel amp Andrew Grantrsquos extensive website
wwwtravellingtwocom contains their tripreports resources for bicycle travelers andthe e-book ldquoBike Touring Survival Guiderdquo
bowl as an extra serving dish We often
make and dress our salads directly in it
Itrsquos hard to think of a day where we
donrsquot use our Ortlieb Bowl When it isnrsquot
being put to work it folds up into a tri-
angle and sits on top of our camping
mattresses which lie across Friedelrsquos
two back panniers So howrsquos it holding
up After 2 years of constant use our
bowl is showing some signs of wear but
nothing that stops us using it as we wantto The sides are a little saggy but it still
maintains the bowl shape A small hole
did develop in the bottom along the fold
lines of the bowl but we patched it with
our puncture repair kit and havenrsquot had a
problem since
ORTLIEB 10 LITRE FOLDING BOWLWEIGHT 92 OZ (260 GR)
BT
For more information on the folding bowl
see wwwortliebde
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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IcelandWillem Megens and Rudi Verhagen experienceIcelandrsquos dramatic landscape as they cycle
around the Vatnajoumlkull glacierPhotos WILLEM MEGENS amp RUDI VERHAGEN
PHOTO STORY
Photo WILLEM MEGENS
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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65
4
3
2
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
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P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
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As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
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looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
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SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
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Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Someday all of this will come to an end the sleep-
ing rough chiseled calves calloused arse tak-
ing 8 hours of exercise a day wearing the same
clothes for two weeks straight having an interesting topic
for conversation worrying about incline gradient and
road surfaces eating like a horse being able to eat a
horse not knowing the name of the town Irsquom in forgetting
the name of the person Irsquom spending the night with cy-cling another twenty km till lunch to save 50 cents living
out of a waterproof bag in a steel trailer saying Irlanda
30 times a day saying nononnietnine not Hollandahellip
Irrrrrrlanda assessing the quality of a book by its size
and weight as well as its content wondering why anyone
would ever wear clothes that are not waterproofbreath-
ablequick dryinglightthermal
Someday Irsquoll be home Irsquoll have a fridge a cooker a
shower a cupboard and a bed Irsquoll be able to close a door
and be by myself talk to people in complex English with
an Irish accent using colloquialisms slang and very spe-
cic Aa Patidg fc Irsquo b ab to gt ot of my
bed and not have to pack it away and go to bed without
waiting for darkness or asking some onersquos permission Irsquoll
hav to gt p at a pcic tim ad do tak that om-
one else dictates Irsquoll have a phone and a set of keys
Someday my life will be normal again and uninterest-ing and Irsquoll probably miss my stop on the train because I
was daydreaming about when I lived on a special simple
world called the road
Road
The
- Fearghal ONuallain
Fearghal and Simon Evans are the rst Irish cyclists tocircumnavigate the globe You can read their trip reports athttprevolutioncycleie
P h o t o P A u l J e
u r I s s e n
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Truckers who traverse the long
barren stretches of desert tarmac
in Chilersquos Atacama Desert do so
much like male dogs canvassing city
blocksndashthey leavehellipuhhhellipbits of them-selveshellipeverywhere they go
Itrsquos impossible to take in an Atacama
viewndashthe scattered black moon rocks
the bone-colored sand dunes the moun-
tains that look as if theyrsquove been ripped
straight out of a Dali landscapendashwithout
oticig th cffd haf-d pa-
tic bottles as well Theyrsquore everywhere (sometimes one can be spotted every
100 yad) ad thyrsquo a d with th
am thig p
Thatrsquos right
P fok
The driest place on Earth is turning
out to be not such a dry a place after all
Itrsquos saturated almost with the urine ofpassing truckers
Thankfully truckers in this part of the
world create urine in hundreds of shades
of solely yellow and orange all hues that
blend nicely with the shifting shades of
the Atacamarsquos sands I have not once
spotted a bottle of the tell-tale bright
green urine of a daily-multi-vitamin-tak-
er Nor have I seen a container weighed
down with the dark brown amber pee of
a Coca-Cola-junkie I donrsquot know what
these drivers are eating and drinking but
whatever it is itrsquos stuff that keeps their
pee Atacama-colored
The problem rests with the plastic
bottles They give the place the feelingof a toilet bowl raised to the power of
two tah ca P th tadim aft
a soccer match minus 10 redwoods In
the middle of the desert in the center of
what should be one of the worldrsquos most
unique arid human-less places I see
liquid traces of lazy men (Irsquom making an
assumption here I know but I think itrsquos a
af o Oy m div ad p at th
same time) Instead of natural nothing-
ness Irsquom seeing lots of human stuff-nessI mt admit thogh sig a of
these bottles of trucker pee all over the
place has inspired my mind to delve into
areas of thought into which it never dared
venture before These are some of the
things I think about when I pass bottle
aft bott of Atacama tck p
1 How in the world do these guys
manage to pee into such small bottles
ad div at th am tim ray how
They must I assume carry (and hopefully
Trucker TracesStory amp Photo ANDREW MORGAN
Cyclist Andrew Morgan discovers that the Atacama desert isnrsquot completely dry
ldquoThatrsquos right
Pee folksrdquo
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wash every once in a while) funnels
2 Wow that one was incredibly
orange I never in my life have seen that
shade of orange before in pee or any-
where else I wonder if that guyrsquos OK
3 That bottle is so full it clearly has
been used many many times In between
uses for a few weeks where does he
to it I a cp hod ud hi at
4 If Chilean energy drink companies
were smart (are there any Chilean en-
ergy drink companies) they would send
scientists out into the desert to collect
samples from as many bottles of truck-
er pee as possible From the samplestheyrsquod be able to tell what nutrients and
other stuff truckers are lacking in their di-
t Pttig th thig ito a pcica-
ly-designed-for-truckers drink would cre-
ate a hit product one with an uncanny
ability to leave truckers feeling refreshed
5 Hy coondashomo d a mo-
ade bottle with pee that looks exactly likelemonade I mean
exactly Hmmmmhellip
actual lyhellipmaybe
itrsquos just a big bottle
of lemonade that
someone couldnrsquot
ih Wod it b
too risky to openthe thing and smell
it to see if maybe
it is lemonade and
maybe maybe I
could drink it Hmm-
mm Hmmmm Yes
Too iky Dity
6 uggggh I hat
seeing all of this
trash everywhere
If I wa Pidt
Read about Andrew Morganrsquos year-and-a-half long ride through the Americas at
wwwTeacherontwowheelscom A bookabout his trip is due out in 2012
BT
of Chile Irsquod create a pee-bottle recycling
program complete with incentives and
all For each ounce of pee you brought to
a recycling center yoursquod get some sort of
food A piece of carrot cake Or a donut
Not a drink of course but food
If you are a Chilean trucker please for
the love of the two or three animals that
call the Atacama home and all the tourists
all 10 of them who ride bicycles across
it each year please donrsquot throw bottles
of pee out your window while you drive
Stop get out of the truck take a breath
of fresh air and pee into the sand like ev-
eryone else
Thank you Gracias
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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TRIP GEAR
Escaping the dark winter months by
touring Morocco or Mexico is fun but
gttig bt aft yo t day
of cycling isnrsquot Scape is a waterproof
sweat proof sunscreen which will not
rub off and run into your eyes It also
ha th hight uVA potctio of a
sunscreens on the market
Price $1499 US
wwwscapelabscom
Advanced Sunscreen
Th Motai Hadwa utalamia
32 sleeping bag weighs just 1 lb15 oz
(870 gr) and packs down to approximately6 inches (17 cm) long It is designed for
damp cool conditions and is rated to 37
degrees F (3 C)
Price $190 US
Synthetic Sleeping Bag
Sololite One Person TentThe Wild Country Sololite is an inex-
pensive all-season solo tent It weighs
4 lb 35 oz (less than 2 kg) and is over
7 feet (220 cm) long
Price $17849 US
wwwterra-novacouk
A look at equipment for bicycle travelersBy GRACE JOHNSON
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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The Scrubr is a synthetic scouring pad
for cleaning your cooking gear Itrsquos
lightweight odor resistant and drips dry
in minutes The makers of Scrubr write
ldquoWe developed it because we weretired of having to throw away stinky
sponges after one camping triprdquo
Price $275 US
httplunatecgearcom
Scrubr Scouring Pad
Many Asian countries are full of cheaphotels so itrsquos tempting to leave your
camping gear at home Still if you become
stranded a cold night in the open can be
extremely uncomfortable An alternative
i to cay th sOl emgcy Bivy Itrsquo
made from the same material as space
bakt which ct 90 of yo body
heat back to youThe bag packs smalland weighs 38 oz (107 gr)
Price $50 US
wwwadventuremedicalkitscom
Emergency Bivy Bag
TrendyDigitalrsquos SplashGuard case is a
padded pouch with a protective screen
Itrsquos also resistant to water and dust You
can operate the keyboard and naviga-
tion button of your Kindle right through
the case It weighs 45 oz (128 gr) and
the company also makes protective
ca fo th iPad
Price $1599 US
httptrendydigitalcom
Kindle Protection
EQUIPMENT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Amonth before we left on our round
the world trip I began thinking ldquowhat
are we going to sit onrdquo After talking it
over with Tara (my wife) we decided our
requirements for a chair were (in order
of impotac) compact iz comfot-
able to sit in and (hopefully) very light
I started at the tip of the camp seatingiceberg by looking what Id used during
a my ai famiy campig tip tho
foldable chairs movie directors are sup-
posed to sit in I found big ones comi-
cally small ones wooden ones steel
ones aluminum ones and countless oth-
er variations before realizing the solution
had to lay elsewhere Delving deeper Idiscovered a dizzying array of options
including hundreds of folding chairs a
weird collapsible sling we tried it it was
awful) chairs with more moving parts
tha a ca ad ay gttig co ot
of th ggd o that md to t
the bill except they were all rather large
Once Id decided that a three leggedchair had the most potential I started
looking for one with telescoping legs I
knew it had to exist It took a lot of hunt-
ing but I eventually found the Swedish
made Walkstool and it had everything
w watd ma coapd iz vy
comfortable seating and thanks to its
amim cotctio ight wight O
of the things I like most about the Walk-
stool is that you can sit on it when the
legs arent extended the perfect height
for working on the drivetrain of your bi-
cycle or preparing dinner on the ground
After six months of use and abuse they
look brand new and work just as well as
they day they arrived at our doorstep I
oy hav o gativ thig to pot
they need better advertising
Walkstool Comfort
WALKSTOOL COMFORT
HEIGHT 18 IN (45 CM)
FOLDED LENGTH 11 IN (28 CM)
WEIGHT 26 OZ (725 GR)
MAXIMUM LOAD 440 LBS (200 KG)
By TYLER KELLEN
Tyler Kellen amp Tara Alan spent two yearscycling around the world Their websitewwwgoingslowlycom is the scrapbook of
their adventures together
GEAR REVIEWS
For further information on the Walkstool
Comfort see wwwwalkstoolcom
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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EQUIPMENT
S
ometimes itrsquos hard to separate the
important accessories from the friv-
olous ones when choosing what to take
on a tour For a long time we put Ort-
liebrsquos 10 litre folding bowl in the sec-
ond category We couldnrsquot imagine why
we needed one
It wasnrsquot until we met a couple with not
one but two folding bowls on tour that we
reconsidered our decisionSince then the
bowl (which comes in 5 litre and 20 litre siz-es as well) has been one of our most reg-
ularly used items What do we use it for
Doig lady sik a oft with-
out plugs or if yoursquore camping you may
not have access to a sink at all The bowl
is great for doing laundry in and you can
fold it together with the clothes inside to
help squeeze out excess waterCoctig wat fo tig W gt
a large amount of water together in the
bow to t ito o bott wh wrsquo
in places where we canrsquot trust the water
showig u th bow to cay v-
erything you need for your shower back
and forth between the bathrooms and
the tent If yoursquore wild camping you canalso use the bowl to collect water from a
stream or river for a bucket shower
Washing Dishes Throw them all in
with a little dish soap and you have an
instant sink or just use the bowl to carry
everything to the washing area
Cleaning Food You can throw large
quantities of vegetables in the bowl to
be washed We use ours a lot for salad
leaves which are too bulky to clean in
our saucepans You can also use the
Ortlieb 10 Litre Folding BowlBy FRIEDEL GRANT
Friedel amp Andrew Grantrsquos extensive website
wwwtravellingtwocom contains their tripreports resources for bicycle travelers andthe e-book ldquoBike Touring Survival Guiderdquo
bowl as an extra serving dish We often
make and dress our salads directly in it
Itrsquos hard to think of a day where we
donrsquot use our Ortlieb Bowl When it isnrsquot
being put to work it folds up into a tri-
angle and sits on top of our camping
mattresses which lie across Friedelrsquos
two back panniers So howrsquos it holding
up After 2 years of constant use our
bowl is showing some signs of wear but
nothing that stops us using it as we wantto The sides are a little saggy but it still
maintains the bowl shape A small hole
did develop in the bottom along the fold
lines of the bowl but we patched it with
our puncture repair kit and havenrsquot had a
problem since
ORTLIEB 10 LITRE FOLDING BOWLWEIGHT 92 OZ (260 GR)
BT
For more information on the folding bowl
see wwwortliebde
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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IcelandWillem Megens and Rudi Verhagen experienceIcelandrsquos dramatic landscape as they cycle
around the Vatnajoumlkull glacierPhotos WILLEM MEGENS amp RUDI VERHAGEN
PHOTO STORY
Photo WILLEM MEGENS
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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65
4
3
2
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1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
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Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
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As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
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SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
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Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
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Truckers who traverse the long
barren stretches of desert tarmac
in Chilersquos Atacama Desert do so
much like male dogs canvassing city
blocksndashthey leavehellipuhhhellipbits of them-selveshellipeverywhere they go
Itrsquos impossible to take in an Atacama
viewndashthe scattered black moon rocks
the bone-colored sand dunes the moun-
tains that look as if theyrsquove been ripped
straight out of a Dali landscapendashwithout
oticig th cffd haf-d pa-
tic bottles as well Theyrsquore everywhere (sometimes one can be spotted every
100 yad) ad thyrsquo a d with th
am thig p
Thatrsquos right
P fok
The driest place on Earth is turning
out to be not such a dry a place after all
Itrsquos saturated almost with the urine ofpassing truckers
Thankfully truckers in this part of the
world create urine in hundreds of shades
of solely yellow and orange all hues that
blend nicely with the shifting shades of
the Atacamarsquos sands I have not once
spotted a bottle of the tell-tale bright
green urine of a daily-multi-vitamin-tak-
er Nor have I seen a container weighed
down with the dark brown amber pee of
a Coca-Cola-junkie I donrsquot know what
these drivers are eating and drinking but
whatever it is itrsquos stuff that keeps their
pee Atacama-colored
The problem rests with the plastic
bottles They give the place the feelingof a toilet bowl raised to the power of
two tah ca P th tadim aft
a soccer match minus 10 redwoods In
the middle of the desert in the center of
what should be one of the worldrsquos most
unique arid human-less places I see
liquid traces of lazy men (Irsquom making an
assumption here I know but I think itrsquos a
af o Oy m div ad p at th
same time) Instead of natural nothing-
ness Irsquom seeing lots of human stuff-nessI mt admit thogh sig a of
these bottles of trucker pee all over the
place has inspired my mind to delve into
areas of thought into which it never dared
venture before These are some of the
things I think about when I pass bottle
aft bott of Atacama tck p
1 How in the world do these guys
manage to pee into such small bottles
ad div at th am tim ray how
They must I assume carry (and hopefully
Trucker TracesStory amp Photo ANDREW MORGAN
Cyclist Andrew Morgan discovers that the Atacama desert isnrsquot completely dry
ldquoThatrsquos right
Pee folksrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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wash every once in a while) funnels
2 Wow that one was incredibly
orange I never in my life have seen that
shade of orange before in pee or any-
where else I wonder if that guyrsquos OK
3 That bottle is so full it clearly has
been used many many times In between
uses for a few weeks where does he
to it I a cp hod ud hi at
4 If Chilean energy drink companies
were smart (are there any Chilean en-
ergy drink companies) they would send
scientists out into the desert to collect
samples from as many bottles of truck-
er pee as possible From the samplestheyrsquod be able to tell what nutrients and
other stuff truckers are lacking in their di-
t Pttig th thig ito a pcica-
ly-designed-for-truckers drink would cre-
ate a hit product one with an uncanny
ability to leave truckers feeling refreshed
5 Hy coondashomo d a mo-
ade bottle with pee that looks exactly likelemonade I mean
exactly Hmmmmhellip
actual lyhellipmaybe
itrsquos just a big bottle
of lemonade that
someone couldnrsquot
ih Wod it b
too risky to openthe thing and smell
it to see if maybe
it is lemonade and
maybe maybe I
could drink it Hmm-
mm Hmmmm Yes
Too iky Dity
6 uggggh I hat
seeing all of this
trash everywhere
If I wa Pidt
Read about Andrew Morganrsquos year-and-a-half long ride through the Americas at
wwwTeacherontwowheelscom A bookabout his trip is due out in 2012
BT
of Chile Irsquod create a pee-bottle recycling
program complete with incentives and
all For each ounce of pee you brought to
a recycling center yoursquod get some sort of
food A piece of carrot cake Or a donut
Not a drink of course but food
If you are a Chilean trucker please for
the love of the two or three animals that
call the Atacama home and all the tourists
all 10 of them who ride bicycles across
it each year please donrsquot throw bottles
of pee out your window while you drive
Stop get out of the truck take a breath
of fresh air and pee into the sand like ev-
eryone else
Thank you Gracias
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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TRIP GEAR
Escaping the dark winter months by
touring Morocco or Mexico is fun but
gttig bt aft yo t day
of cycling isnrsquot Scape is a waterproof
sweat proof sunscreen which will not
rub off and run into your eyes It also
ha th hight uVA potctio of a
sunscreens on the market
Price $1499 US
wwwscapelabscom
Advanced Sunscreen
Th Motai Hadwa utalamia
32 sleeping bag weighs just 1 lb15 oz
(870 gr) and packs down to approximately6 inches (17 cm) long It is designed for
damp cool conditions and is rated to 37
degrees F (3 C)
Price $190 US
Synthetic Sleeping Bag
Sololite One Person TentThe Wild Country Sololite is an inex-
pensive all-season solo tent It weighs
4 lb 35 oz (less than 2 kg) and is over
7 feet (220 cm) long
Price $17849 US
wwwterra-novacouk
A look at equipment for bicycle travelersBy GRACE JOHNSON
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 11
The Scrubr is a synthetic scouring pad
for cleaning your cooking gear Itrsquos
lightweight odor resistant and drips dry
in minutes The makers of Scrubr write
ldquoWe developed it because we weretired of having to throw away stinky
sponges after one camping triprdquo
Price $275 US
httplunatecgearcom
Scrubr Scouring Pad
Many Asian countries are full of cheaphotels so itrsquos tempting to leave your
camping gear at home Still if you become
stranded a cold night in the open can be
extremely uncomfortable An alternative
i to cay th sOl emgcy Bivy Itrsquo
made from the same material as space
bakt which ct 90 of yo body
heat back to youThe bag packs smalland weighs 38 oz (107 gr)
Price $50 US
wwwadventuremedicalkitscom
Emergency Bivy Bag
TrendyDigitalrsquos SplashGuard case is a
padded pouch with a protective screen
Itrsquos also resistant to water and dust You
can operate the keyboard and naviga-
tion button of your Kindle right through
the case It weighs 45 oz (128 gr) and
the company also makes protective
ca fo th iPad
Price $1599 US
httptrendydigitalcom
Kindle Protection
EQUIPMENT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201212
Amonth before we left on our round
the world trip I began thinking ldquowhat
are we going to sit onrdquo After talking it
over with Tara (my wife) we decided our
requirements for a chair were (in order
of impotac) compact iz comfot-
able to sit in and (hopefully) very light
I started at the tip of the camp seatingiceberg by looking what Id used during
a my ai famiy campig tip tho
foldable chairs movie directors are sup-
posed to sit in I found big ones comi-
cally small ones wooden ones steel
ones aluminum ones and countless oth-
er variations before realizing the solution
had to lay elsewhere Delving deeper Idiscovered a dizzying array of options
including hundreds of folding chairs a
weird collapsible sling we tried it it was
awful) chairs with more moving parts
tha a ca ad ay gttig co ot
of th ggd o that md to t
the bill except they were all rather large
Once Id decided that a three leggedchair had the most potential I started
looking for one with telescoping legs I
knew it had to exist It took a lot of hunt-
ing but I eventually found the Swedish
made Walkstool and it had everything
w watd ma coapd iz vy
comfortable seating and thanks to its
amim cotctio ight wight O
of the things I like most about the Walk-
stool is that you can sit on it when the
legs arent extended the perfect height
for working on the drivetrain of your bi-
cycle or preparing dinner on the ground
After six months of use and abuse they
look brand new and work just as well as
they day they arrived at our doorstep I
oy hav o gativ thig to pot
they need better advertising
Walkstool Comfort
WALKSTOOL COMFORT
HEIGHT 18 IN (45 CM)
FOLDED LENGTH 11 IN (28 CM)
WEIGHT 26 OZ (725 GR)
MAXIMUM LOAD 440 LBS (200 KG)
By TYLER KELLEN
Tyler Kellen amp Tara Alan spent two yearscycling around the world Their websitewwwgoingslowlycom is the scrapbook of
their adventures together
GEAR REVIEWS
For further information on the Walkstool
Comfort see wwwwalkstoolcom
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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EQUIPMENT
S
ometimes itrsquos hard to separate the
important accessories from the friv-
olous ones when choosing what to take
on a tour For a long time we put Ort-
liebrsquos 10 litre folding bowl in the sec-
ond category We couldnrsquot imagine why
we needed one
It wasnrsquot until we met a couple with not
one but two folding bowls on tour that we
reconsidered our decisionSince then the
bowl (which comes in 5 litre and 20 litre siz-es as well) has been one of our most reg-
ularly used items What do we use it for
Doig lady sik a oft with-
out plugs or if yoursquore camping you may
not have access to a sink at all The bowl
is great for doing laundry in and you can
fold it together with the clothes inside to
help squeeze out excess waterCoctig wat fo tig W gt
a large amount of water together in the
bow to t ito o bott wh wrsquo
in places where we canrsquot trust the water
showig u th bow to cay v-
erything you need for your shower back
and forth between the bathrooms and
the tent If yoursquore wild camping you canalso use the bowl to collect water from a
stream or river for a bucket shower
Washing Dishes Throw them all in
with a little dish soap and you have an
instant sink or just use the bowl to carry
everything to the washing area
Cleaning Food You can throw large
quantities of vegetables in the bowl to
be washed We use ours a lot for salad
leaves which are too bulky to clean in
our saucepans You can also use the
Ortlieb 10 Litre Folding BowlBy FRIEDEL GRANT
Friedel amp Andrew Grantrsquos extensive website
wwwtravellingtwocom contains their tripreports resources for bicycle travelers andthe e-book ldquoBike Touring Survival Guiderdquo
bowl as an extra serving dish We often
make and dress our salads directly in it
Itrsquos hard to think of a day where we
donrsquot use our Ortlieb Bowl When it isnrsquot
being put to work it folds up into a tri-
angle and sits on top of our camping
mattresses which lie across Friedelrsquos
two back panniers So howrsquos it holding
up After 2 years of constant use our
bowl is showing some signs of wear but
nothing that stops us using it as we wantto The sides are a little saggy but it still
maintains the bowl shape A small hole
did develop in the bottom along the fold
lines of the bowl but we patched it with
our puncture repair kit and havenrsquot had a
problem since
ORTLIEB 10 LITRE FOLDING BOWLWEIGHT 92 OZ (260 GR)
BT
For more information on the folding bowl
see wwwortliebde
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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IcelandWillem Megens and Rudi Verhagen experienceIcelandrsquos dramatic landscape as they cycle
around the Vatnajoumlkull glacierPhotos WILLEM MEGENS amp RUDI VERHAGEN
PHOTO STORY
Photo WILLEM MEGENS
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
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65
4
3
2
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
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SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
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Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Truckers who traverse the long
barren stretches of desert tarmac
in Chilersquos Atacama Desert do so
much like male dogs canvassing city
blocksndashthey leavehellipuhhhellipbits of them-selveshellipeverywhere they go
Itrsquos impossible to take in an Atacama
viewndashthe scattered black moon rocks
the bone-colored sand dunes the moun-
tains that look as if theyrsquove been ripped
straight out of a Dali landscapendashwithout
oticig th cffd haf-d pa-
tic bottles as well Theyrsquore everywhere (sometimes one can be spotted every
100 yad) ad thyrsquo a d with th
am thig p
Thatrsquos right
P fok
The driest place on Earth is turning
out to be not such a dry a place after all
Itrsquos saturated almost with the urine ofpassing truckers
Thankfully truckers in this part of the
world create urine in hundreds of shades
of solely yellow and orange all hues that
blend nicely with the shifting shades of
the Atacamarsquos sands I have not once
spotted a bottle of the tell-tale bright
green urine of a daily-multi-vitamin-tak-
er Nor have I seen a container weighed
down with the dark brown amber pee of
a Coca-Cola-junkie I donrsquot know what
these drivers are eating and drinking but
whatever it is itrsquos stuff that keeps their
pee Atacama-colored
The problem rests with the plastic
bottles They give the place the feelingof a toilet bowl raised to the power of
two tah ca P th tadim aft
a soccer match minus 10 redwoods In
the middle of the desert in the center of
what should be one of the worldrsquos most
unique arid human-less places I see
liquid traces of lazy men (Irsquom making an
assumption here I know but I think itrsquos a
af o Oy m div ad p at th
same time) Instead of natural nothing-
ness Irsquom seeing lots of human stuff-nessI mt admit thogh sig a of
these bottles of trucker pee all over the
place has inspired my mind to delve into
areas of thought into which it never dared
venture before These are some of the
things I think about when I pass bottle
aft bott of Atacama tck p
1 How in the world do these guys
manage to pee into such small bottles
ad div at th am tim ray how
They must I assume carry (and hopefully
Trucker TracesStory amp Photo ANDREW MORGAN
Cyclist Andrew Morgan discovers that the Atacama desert isnrsquot completely dry
ldquoThatrsquos right
Pee folksrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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wash every once in a while) funnels
2 Wow that one was incredibly
orange I never in my life have seen that
shade of orange before in pee or any-
where else I wonder if that guyrsquos OK
3 That bottle is so full it clearly has
been used many many times In between
uses for a few weeks where does he
to it I a cp hod ud hi at
4 If Chilean energy drink companies
were smart (are there any Chilean en-
ergy drink companies) they would send
scientists out into the desert to collect
samples from as many bottles of truck-
er pee as possible From the samplestheyrsquod be able to tell what nutrients and
other stuff truckers are lacking in their di-
t Pttig th thig ito a pcica-
ly-designed-for-truckers drink would cre-
ate a hit product one with an uncanny
ability to leave truckers feeling refreshed
5 Hy coondashomo d a mo-
ade bottle with pee that looks exactly likelemonade I mean
exactly Hmmmmhellip
actual lyhellipmaybe
itrsquos just a big bottle
of lemonade that
someone couldnrsquot
ih Wod it b
too risky to openthe thing and smell
it to see if maybe
it is lemonade and
maybe maybe I
could drink it Hmm-
mm Hmmmm Yes
Too iky Dity
6 uggggh I hat
seeing all of this
trash everywhere
If I wa Pidt
Read about Andrew Morganrsquos year-and-a-half long ride through the Americas at
wwwTeacherontwowheelscom A bookabout his trip is due out in 2012
BT
of Chile Irsquod create a pee-bottle recycling
program complete with incentives and
all For each ounce of pee you brought to
a recycling center yoursquod get some sort of
food A piece of carrot cake Or a donut
Not a drink of course but food
If you are a Chilean trucker please for
the love of the two or three animals that
call the Atacama home and all the tourists
all 10 of them who ride bicycles across
it each year please donrsquot throw bottles
of pee out your window while you drive
Stop get out of the truck take a breath
of fresh air and pee into the sand like ev-
eryone else
Thank you Gracias
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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TRIP GEAR
Escaping the dark winter months by
touring Morocco or Mexico is fun but
gttig bt aft yo t day
of cycling isnrsquot Scape is a waterproof
sweat proof sunscreen which will not
rub off and run into your eyes It also
ha th hight uVA potctio of a
sunscreens on the market
Price $1499 US
wwwscapelabscom
Advanced Sunscreen
Th Motai Hadwa utalamia
32 sleeping bag weighs just 1 lb15 oz
(870 gr) and packs down to approximately6 inches (17 cm) long It is designed for
damp cool conditions and is rated to 37
degrees F (3 C)
Price $190 US
Synthetic Sleeping Bag
Sololite One Person TentThe Wild Country Sololite is an inex-
pensive all-season solo tent It weighs
4 lb 35 oz (less than 2 kg) and is over
7 feet (220 cm) long
Price $17849 US
wwwterra-novacouk
A look at equipment for bicycle travelersBy GRACE JOHNSON
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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The Scrubr is a synthetic scouring pad
for cleaning your cooking gear Itrsquos
lightweight odor resistant and drips dry
in minutes The makers of Scrubr write
ldquoWe developed it because we weretired of having to throw away stinky
sponges after one camping triprdquo
Price $275 US
httplunatecgearcom
Scrubr Scouring Pad
Many Asian countries are full of cheaphotels so itrsquos tempting to leave your
camping gear at home Still if you become
stranded a cold night in the open can be
extremely uncomfortable An alternative
i to cay th sOl emgcy Bivy Itrsquo
made from the same material as space
bakt which ct 90 of yo body
heat back to youThe bag packs smalland weighs 38 oz (107 gr)
Price $50 US
wwwadventuremedicalkitscom
Emergency Bivy Bag
TrendyDigitalrsquos SplashGuard case is a
padded pouch with a protective screen
Itrsquos also resistant to water and dust You
can operate the keyboard and naviga-
tion button of your Kindle right through
the case It weighs 45 oz (128 gr) and
the company also makes protective
ca fo th iPad
Price $1599 US
httptrendydigitalcom
Kindle Protection
EQUIPMENT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Amonth before we left on our round
the world trip I began thinking ldquowhat
are we going to sit onrdquo After talking it
over with Tara (my wife) we decided our
requirements for a chair were (in order
of impotac) compact iz comfot-
able to sit in and (hopefully) very light
I started at the tip of the camp seatingiceberg by looking what Id used during
a my ai famiy campig tip tho
foldable chairs movie directors are sup-
posed to sit in I found big ones comi-
cally small ones wooden ones steel
ones aluminum ones and countless oth-
er variations before realizing the solution
had to lay elsewhere Delving deeper Idiscovered a dizzying array of options
including hundreds of folding chairs a
weird collapsible sling we tried it it was
awful) chairs with more moving parts
tha a ca ad ay gttig co ot
of th ggd o that md to t
the bill except they were all rather large
Once Id decided that a three leggedchair had the most potential I started
looking for one with telescoping legs I
knew it had to exist It took a lot of hunt-
ing but I eventually found the Swedish
made Walkstool and it had everything
w watd ma coapd iz vy
comfortable seating and thanks to its
amim cotctio ight wight O
of the things I like most about the Walk-
stool is that you can sit on it when the
legs arent extended the perfect height
for working on the drivetrain of your bi-
cycle or preparing dinner on the ground
After six months of use and abuse they
look brand new and work just as well as
they day they arrived at our doorstep I
oy hav o gativ thig to pot
they need better advertising
Walkstool Comfort
WALKSTOOL COMFORT
HEIGHT 18 IN (45 CM)
FOLDED LENGTH 11 IN (28 CM)
WEIGHT 26 OZ (725 GR)
MAXIMUM LOAD 440 LBS (200 KG)
By TYLER KELLEN
Tyler Kellen amp Tara Alan spent two yearscycling around the world Their websitewwwgoingslowlycom is the scrapbook of
their adventures together
GEAR REVIEWS
For further information on the Walkstool
Comfort see wwwwalkstoolcom
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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EQUIPMENT
S
ometimes itrsquos hard to separate the
important accessories from the friv-
olous ones when choosing what to take
on a tour For a long time we put Ort-
liebrsquos 10 litre folding bowl in the sec-
ond category We couldnrsquot imagine why
we needed one
It wasnrsquot until we met a couple with not
one but two folding bowls on tour that we
reconsidered our decisionSince then the
bowl (which comes in 5 litre and 20 litre siz-es as well) has been one of our most reg-
ularly used items What do we use it for
Doig lady sik a oft with-
out plugs or if yoursquore camping you may
not have access to a sink at all The bowl
is great for doing laundry in and you can
fold it together with the clothes inside to
help squeeze out excess waterCoctig wat fo tig W gt
a large amount of water together in the
bow to t ito o bott wh wrsquo
in places where we canrsquot trust the water
showig u th bow to cay v-
erything you need for your shower back
and forth between the bathrooms and
the tent If yoursquore wild camping you canalso use the bowl to collect water from a
stream or river for a bucket shower
Washing Dishes Throw them all in
with a little dish soap and you have an
instant sink or just use the bowl to carry
everything to the washing area
Cleaning Food You can throw large
quantities of vegetables in the bowl to
be washed We use ours a lot for salad
leaves which are too bulky to clean in
our saucepans You can also use the
Ortlieb 10 Litre Folding BowlBy FRIEDEL GRANT
Friedel amp Andrew Grantrsquos extensive website
wwwtravellingtwocom contains their tripreports resources for bicycle travelers andthe e-book ldquoBike Touring Survival Guiderdquo
bowl as an extra serving dish We often
make and dress our salads directly in it
Itrsquos hard to think of a day where we
donrsquot use our Ortlieb Bowl When it isnrsquot
being put to work it folds up into a tri-
angle and sits on top of our camping
mattresses which lie across Friedelrsquos
two back panniers So howrsquos it holding
up After 2 years of constant use our
bowl is showing some signs of wear but
nothing that stops us using it as we wantto The sides are a little saggy but it still
maintains the bowl shape A small hole
did develop in the bottom along the fold
lines of the bowl but we patched it with
our puncture repair kit and havenrsquot had a
problem since
ORTLIEB 10 LITRE FOLDING BOWLWEIGHT 92 OZ (260 GR)
BT
For more information on the folding bowl
see wwwortliebde
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IcelandWillem Megens and Rudi Verhagen experienceIcelandrsquos dramatic landscape as they cycle
around the Vatnajoumlkull glacierPhotos WILLEM MEGENS amp RUDI VERHAGEN
PHOTO STORY
Photo WILLEM MEGENS
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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65
4
3
2
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
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As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
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BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
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FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
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SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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wash every once in a while) funnels
2 Wow that one was incredibly
orange I never in my life have seen that
shade of orange before in pee or any-
where else I wonder if that guyrsquos OK
3 That bottle is so full it clearly has
been used many many times In between
uses for a few weeks where does he
to it I a cp hod ud hi at
4 If Chilean energy drink companies
were smart (are there any Chilean en-
ergy drink companies) they would send
scientists out into the desert to collect
samples from as many bottles of truck-
er pee as possible From the samplestheyrsquod be able to tell what nutrients and
other stuff truckers are lacking in their di-
t Pttig th thig ito a pcica-
ly-designed-for-truckers drink would cre-
ate a hit product one with an uncanny
ability to leave truckers feeling refreshed
5 Hy coondashomo d a mo-
ade bottle with pee that looks exactly likelemonade I mean
exactly Hmmmmhellip
actual lyhellipmaybe
itrsquos just a big bottle
of lemonade that
someone couldnrsquot
ih Wod it b
too risky to openthe thing and smell
it to see if maybe
it is lemonade and
maybe maybe I
could drink it Hmm-
mm Hmmmm Yes
Too iky Dity
6 uggggh I hat
seeing all of this
trash everywhere
If I wa Pidt
Read about Andrew Morganrsquos year-and-a-half long ride through the Americas at
wwwTeacherontwowheelscom A bookabout his trip is due out in 2012
BT
of Chile Irsquod create a pee-bottle recycling
program complete with incentives and
all For each ounce of pee you brought to
a recycling center yoursquod get some sort of
food A piece of carrot cake Or a donut
Not a drink of course but food
If you are a Chilean trucker please for
the love of the two or three animals that
call the Atacama home and all the tourists
all 10 of them who ride bicycles across
it each year please donrsquot throw bottles
of pee out your window while you drive
Stop get out of the truck take a breath
of fresh air and pee into the sand like ev-
eryone else
Thank you Gracias
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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TRIP GEAR
Escaping the dark winter months by
touring Morocco or Mexico is fun but
gttig bt aft yo t day
of cycling isnrsquot Scape is a waterproof
sweat proof sunscreen which will not
rub off and run into your eyes It also
ha th hight uVA potctio of a
sunscreens on the market
Price $1499 US
wwwscapelabscom
Advanced Sunscreen
Th Motai Hadwa utalamia
32 sleeping bag weighs just 1 lb15 oz
(870 gr) and packs down to approximately6 inches (17 cm) long It is designed for
damp cool conditions and is rated to 37
degrees F (3 C)
Price $190 US
Synthetic Sleeping Bag
Sololite One Person TentThe Wild Country Sololite is an inex-
pensive all-season solo tent It weighs
4 lb 35 oz (less than 2 kg) and is over
7 feet (220 cm) long
Price $17849 US
wwwterra-novacouk
A look at equipment for bicycle travelersBy GRACE JOHNSON
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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The Scrubr is a synthetic scouring pad
for cleaning your cooking gear Itrsquos
lightweight odor resistant and drips dry
in minutes The makers of Scrubr write
ldquoWe developed it because we weretired of having to throw away stinky
sponges after one camping triprdquo
Price $275 US
httplunatecgearcom
Scrubr Scouring Pad
Many Asian countries are full of cheaphotels so itrsquos tempting to leave your
camping gear at home Still if you become
stranded a cold night in the open can be
extremely uncomfortable An alternative
i to cay th sOl emgcy Bivy Itrsquo
made from the same material as space
bakt which ct 90 of yo body
heat back to youThe bag packs smalland weighs 38 oz (107 gr)
Price $50 US
wwwadventuremedicalkitscom
Emergency Bivy Bag
TrendyDigitalrsquos SplashGuard case is a
padded pouch with a protective screen
Itrsquos also resistant to water and dust You
can operate the keyboard and naviga-
tion button of your Kindle right through
the case It weighs 45 oz (128 gr) and
the company also makes protective
ca fo th iPad
Price $1599 US
httptrendydigitalcom
Kindle Protection
EQUIPMENT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Amonth before we left on our round
the world trip I began thinking ldquowhat
are we going to sit onrdquo After talking it
over with Tara (my wife) we decided our
requirements for a chair were (in order
of impotac) compact iz comfot-
able to sit in and (hopefully) very light
I started at the tip of the camp seatingiceberg by looking what Id used during
a my ai famiy campig tip tho
foldable chairs movie directors are sup-
posed to sit in I found big ones comi-
cally small ones wooden ones steel
ones aluminum ones and countless oth-
er variations before realizing the solution
had to lay elsewhere Delving deeper Idiscovered a dizzying array of options
including hundreds of folding chairs a
weird collapsible sling we tried it it was
awful) chairs with more moving parts
tha a ca ad ay gttig co ot
of th ggd o that md to t
the bill except they were all rather large
Once Id decided that a three leggedchair had the most potential I started
looking for one with telescoping legs I
knew it had to exist It took a lot of hunt-
ing but I eventually found the Swedish
made Walkstool and it had everything
w watd ma coapd iz vy
comfortable seating and thanks to its
amim cotctio ight wight O
of the things I like most about the Walk-
stool is that you can sit on it when the
legs arent extended the perfect height
for working on the drivetrain of your bi-
cycle or preparing dinner on the ground
After six months of use and abuse they
look brand new and work just as well as
they day they arrived at our doorstep I
oy hav o gativ thig to pot
they need better advertising
Walkstool Comfort
WALKSTOOL COMFORT
HEIGHT 18 IN (45 CM)
FOLDED LENGTH 11 IN (28 CM)
WEIGHT 26 OZ (725 GR)
MAXIMUM LOAD 440 LBS (200 KG)
By TYLER KELLEN
Tyler Kellen amp Tara Alan spent two yearscycling around the world Their websitewwwgoingslowlycom is the scrapbook of
their adventures together
GEAR REVIEWS
For further information on the Walkstool
Comfort see wwwwalkstoolcom
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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EQUIPMENT
S
ometimes itrsquos hard to separate the
important accessories from the friv-
olous ones when choosing what to take
on a tour For a long time we put Ort-
liebrsquos 10 litre folding bowl in the sec-
ond category We couldnrsquot imagine why
we needed one
It wasnrsquot until we met a couple with not
one but two folding bowls on tour that we
reconsidered our decisionSince then the
bowl (which comes in 5 litre and 20 litre siz-es as well) has been one of our most reg-
ularly used items What do we use it for
Doig lady sik a oft with-
out plugs or if yoursquore camping you may
not have access to a sink at all The bowl
is great for doing laundry in and you can
fold it together with the clothes inside to
help squeeze out excess waterCoctig wat fo tig W gt
a large amount of water together in the
bow to t ito o bott wh wrsquo
in places where we canrsquot trust the water
showig u th bow to cay v-
erything you need for your shower back
and forth between the bathrooms and
the tent If yoursquore wild camping you canalso use the bowl to collect water from a
stream or river for a bucket shower
Washing Dishes Throw them all in
with a little dish soap and you have an
instant sink or just use the bowl to carry
everything to the washing area
Cleaning Food You can throw large
quantities of vegetables in the bowl to
be washed We use ours a lot for salad
leaves which are too bulky to clean in
our saucepans You can also use the
Ortlieb 10 Litre Folding BowlBy FRIEDEL GRANT
Friedel amp Andrew Grantrsquos extensive website
wwwtravellingtwocom contains their tripreports resources for bicycle travelers andthe e-book ldquoBike Touring Survival Guiderdquo
bowl as an extra serving dish We often
make and dress our salads directly in it
Itrsquos hard to think of a day where we
donrsquot use our Ortlieb Bowl When it isnrsquot
being put to work it folds up into a tri-
angle and sits on top of our camping
mattresses which lie across Friedelrsquos
two back panniers So howrsquos it holding
up After 2 years of constant use our
bowl is showing some signs of wear but
nothing that stops us using it as we wantto The sides are a little saggy but it still
maintains the bowl shape A small hole
did develop in the bottom along the fold
lines of the bowl but we patched it with
our puncture repair kit and havenrsquot had a
problem since
ORTLIEB 10 LITRE FOLDING BOWLWEIGHT 92 OZ (260 GR)
BT
For more information on the folding bowl
see wwwortliebde
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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IcelandWillem Megens and Rudi Verhagen experienceIcelandrsquos dramatic landscape as they cycle
around the Vatnajoumlkull glacierPhotos WILLEM MEGENS amp RUDI VERHAGEN
PHOTO STORY
Photo WILLEM MEGENS
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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65
4
3
2
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
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P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
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As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
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looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
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BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
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SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
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TRIP GEAR
Escaping the dark winter months by
touring Morocco or Mexico is fun but
gttig bt aft yo t day
of cycling isnrsquot Scape is a waterproof
sweat proof sunscreen which will not
rub off and run into your eyes It also
ha th hight uVA potctio of a
sunscreens on the market
Price $1499 US
wwwscapelabscom
Advanced Sunscreen
Th Motai Hadwa utalamia
32 sleeping bag weighs just 1 lb15 oz
(870 gr) and packs down to approximately6 inches (17 cm) long It is designed for
damp cool conditions and is rated to 37
degrees F (3 C)
Price $190 US
Synthetic Sleeping Bag
Sololite One Person TentThe Wild Country Sololite is an inex-
pensive all-season solo tent It weighs
4 lb 35 oz (less than 2 kg) and is over
7 feet (220 cm) long
Price $17849 US
wwwterra-novacouk
A look at equipment for bicycle travelersBy GRACE JOHNSON
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The Scrubr is a synthetic scouring pad
for cleaning your cooking gear Itrsquos
lightweight odor resistant and drips dry
in minutes The makers of Scrubr write
ldquoWe developed it because we weretired of having to throw away stinky
sponges after one camping triprdquo
Price $275 US
httplunatecgearcom
Scrubr Scouring Pad
Many Asian countries are full of cheaphotels so itrsquos tempting to leave your
camping gear at home Still if you become
stranded a cold night in the open can be
extremely uncomfortable An alternative
i to cay th sOl emgcy Bivy Itrsquo
made from the same material as space
bakt which ct 90 of yo body
heat back to youThe bag packs smalland weighs 38 oz (107 gr)
Price $50 US
wwwadventuremedicalkitscom
Emergency Bivy Bag
TrendyDigitalrsquos SplashGuard case is a
padded pouch with a protective screen
Itrsquos also resistant to water and dust You
can operate the keyboard and naviga-
tion button of your Kindle right through
the case It weighs 45 oz (128 gr) and
the company also makes protective
ca fo th iPad
Price $1599 US
httptrendydigitalcom
Kindle Protection
EQUIPMENT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Amonth before we left on our round
the world trip I began thinking ldquowhat
are we going to sit onrdquo After talking it
over with Tara (my wife) we decided our
requirements for a chair were (in order
of impotac) compact iz comfot-
able to sit in and (hopefully) very light
I started at the tip of the camp seatingiceberg by looking what Id used during
a my ai famiy campig tip tho
foldable chairs movie directors are sup-
posed to sit in I found big ones comi-
cally small ones wooden ones steel
ones aluminum ones and countless oth-
er variations before realizing the solution
had to lay elsewhere Delving deeper Idiscovered a dizzying array of options
including hundreds of folding chairs a
weird collapsible sling we tried it it was
awful) chairs with more moving parts
tha a ca ad ay gttig co ot
of th ggd o that md to t
the bill except they were all rather large
Once Id decided that a three leggedchair had the most potential I started
looking for one with telescoping legs I
knew it had to exist It took a lot of hunt-
ing but I eventually found the Swedish
made Walkstool and it had everything
w watd ma coapd iz vy
comfortable seating and thanks to its
amim cotctio ight wight O
of the things I like most about the Walk-
stool is that you can sit on it when the
legs arent extended the perfect height
for working on the drivetrain of your bi-
cycle or preparing dinner on the ground
After six months of use and abuse they
look brand new and work just as well as
they day they arrived at our doorstep I
oy hav o gativ thig to pot
they need better advertising
Walkstool Comfort
WALKSTOOL COMFORT
HEIGHT 18 IN (45 CM)
FOLDED LENGTH 11 IN (28 CM)
WEIGHT 26 OZ (725 GR)
MAXIMUM LOAD 440 LBS (200 KG)
By TYLER KELLEN
Tyler Kellen amp Tara Alan spent two yearscycling around the world Their websitewwwgoingslowlycom is the scrapbook of
their adventures together
GEAR REVIEWS
For further information on the Walkstool
Comfort see wwwwalkstoolcom
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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EQUIPMENT
S
ometimes itrsquos hard to separate the
important accessories from the friv-
olous ones when choosing what to take
on a tour For a long time we put Ort-
liebrsquos 10 litre folding bowl in the sec-
ond category We couldnrsquot imagine why
we needed one
It wasnrsquot until we met a couple with not
one but two folding bowls on tour that we
reconsidered our decisionSince then the
bowl (which comes in 5 litre and 20 litre siz-es as well) has been one of our most reg-
ularly used items What do we use it for
Doig lady sik a oft with-
out plugs or if yoursquore camping you may
not have access to a sink at all The bowl
is great for doing laundry in and you can
fold it together with the clothes inside to
help squeeze out excess waterCoctig wat fo tig W gt
a large amount of water together in the
bow to t ito o bott wh wrsquo
in places where we canrsquot trust the water
showig u th bow to cay v-
erything you need for your shower back
and forth between the bathrooms and
the tent If yoursquore wild camping you canalso use the bowl to collect water from a
stream or river for a bucket shower
Washing Dishes Throw them all in
with a little dish soap and you have an
instant sink or just use the bowl to carry
everything to the washing area
Cleaning Food You can throw large
quantities of vegetables in the bowl to
be washed We use ours a lot for salad
leaves which are too bulky to clean in
our saucepans You can also use the
Ortlieb 10 Litre Folding BowlBy FRIEDEL GRANT
Friedel amp Andrew Grantrsquos extensive website
wwwtravellingtwocom contains their tripreports resources for bicycle travelers andthe e-book ldquoBike Touring Survival Guiderdquo
bowl as an extra serving dish We often
make and dress our salads directly in it
Itrsquos hard to think of a day where we
donrsquot use our Ortlieb Bowl When it isnrsquot
being put to work it folds up into a tri-
angle and sits on top of our camping
mattresses which lie across Friedelrsquos
two back panniers So howrsquos it holding
up After 2 years of constant use our
bowl is showing some signs of wear but
nothing that stops us using it as we wantto The sides are a little saggy but it still
maintains the bowl shape A small hole
did develop in the bottom along the fold
lines of the bowl but we patched it with
our puncture repair kit and havenrsquot had a
problem since
ORTLIEB 10 LITRE FOLDING BOWLWEIGHT 92 OZ (260 GR)
BT
For more information on the folding bowl
see wwwortliebde
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IcelandWillem Megens and Rudi Verhagen experienceIcelandrsquos dramatic landscape as they cycle
around the Vatnajoumlkull glacierPhotos WILLEM MEGENS amp RUDI VERHAGEN
PHOTO STORY
Photo WILLEM MEGENS
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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65
4
3
2
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
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Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
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P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
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As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
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looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
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BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
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Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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The Scrubr is a synthetic scouring pad
for cleaning your cooking gear Itrsquos
lightweight odor resistant and drips dry
in minutes The makers of Scrubr write
ldquoWe developed it because we weretired of having to throw away stinky
sponges after one camping triprdquo
Price $275 US
httplunatecgearcom
Scrubr Scouring Pad
Many Asian countries are full of cheaphotels so itrsquos tempting to leave your
camping gear at home Still if you become
stranded a cold night in the open can be
extremely uncomfortable An alternative
i to cay th sOl emgcy Bivy Itrsquo
made from the same material as space
bakt which ct 90 of yo body
heat back to youThe bag packs smalland weighs 38 oz (107 gr)
Price $50 US
wwwadventuremedicalkitscom
Emergency Bivy Bag
TrendyDigitalrsquos SplashGuard case is a
padded pouch with a protective screen
Itrsquos also resistant to water and dust You
can operate the keyboard and naviga-
tion button of your Kindle right through
the case It weighs 45 oz (128 gr) and
the company also makes protective
ca fo th iPad
Price $1599 US
httptrendydigitalcom
Kindle Protection
EQUIPMENT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Amonth before we left on our round
the world trip I began thinking ldquowhat
are we going to sit onrdquo After talking it
over with Tara (my wife) we decided our
requirements for a chair were (in order
of impotac) compact iz comfot-
able to sit in and (hopefully) very light
I started at the tip of the camp seatingiceberg by looking what Id used during
a my ai famiy campig tip tho
foldable chairs movie directors are sup-
posed to sit in I found big ones comi-
cally small ones wooden ones steel
ones aluminum ones and countless oth-
er variations before realizing the solution
had to lay elsewhere Delving deeper Idiscovered a dizzying array of options
including hundreds of folding chairs a
weird collapsible sling we tried it it was
awful) chairs with more moving parts
tha a ca ad ay gttig co ot
of th ggd o that md to t
the bill except they were all rather large
Once Id decided that a three leggedchair had the most potential I started
looking for one with telescoping legs I
knew it had to exist It took a lot of hunt-
ing but I eventually found the Swedish
made Walkstool and it had everything
w watd ma coapd iz vy
comfortable seating and thanks to its
amim cotctio ight wight O
of the things I like most about the Walk-
stool is that you can sit on it when the
legs arent extended the perfect height
for working on the drivetrain of your bi-
cycle or preparing dinner on the ground
After six months of use and abuse they
look brand new and work just as well as
they day they arrived at our doorstep I
oy hav o gativ thig to pot
they need better advertising
Walkstool Comfort
WALKSTOOL COMFORT
HEIGHT 18 IN (45 CM)
FOLDED LENGTH 11 IN (28 CM)
WEIGHT 26 OZ (725 GR)
MAXIMUM LOAD 440 LBS (200 KG)
By TYLER KELLEN
Tyler Kellen amp Tara Alan spent two yearscycling around the world Their websitewwwgoingslowlycom is the scrapbook of
their adventures together
GEAR REVIEWS
For further information on the Walkstool
Comfort see wwwwalkstoolcom
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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EQUIPMENT
S
ometimes itrsquos hard to separate the
important accessories from the friv-
olous ones when choosing what to take
on a tour For a long time we put Ort-
liebrsquos 10 litre folding bowl in the sec-
ond category We couldnrsquot imagine why
we needed one
It wasnrsquot until we met a couple with not
one but two folding bowls on tour that we
reconsidered our decisionSince then the
bowl (which comes in 5 litre and 20 litre siz-es as well) has been one of our most reg-
ularly used items What do we use it for
Doig lady sik a oft with-
out plugs or if yoursquore camping you may
not have access to a sink at all The bowl
is great for doing laundry in and you can
fold it together with the clothes inside to
help squeeze out excess waterCoctig wat fo tig W gt
a large amount of water together in the
bow to t ito o bott wh wrsquo
in places where we canrsquot trust the water
showig u th bow to cay v-
erything you need for your shower back
and forth between the bathrooms and
the tent If yoursquore wild camping you canalso use the bowl to collect water from a
stream or river for a bucket shower
Washing Dishes Throw them all in
with a little dish soap and you have an
instant sink or just use the bowl to carry
everything to the washing area
Cleaning Food You can throw large
quantities of vegetables in the bowl to
be washed We use ours a lot for salad
leaves which are too bulky to clean in
our saucepans You can also use the
Ortlieb 10 Litre Folding BowlBy FRIEDEL GRANT
Friedel amp Andrew Grantrsquos extensive website
wwwtravellingtwocom contains their tripreports resources for bicycle travelers andthe e-book ldquoBike Touring Survival Guiderdquo
bowl as an extra serving dish We often
make and dress our salads directly in it
Itrsquos hard to think of a day where we
donrsquot use our Ortlieb Bowl When it isnrsquot
being put to work it folds up into a tri-
angle and sits on top of our camping
mattresses which lie across Friedelrsquos
two back panniers So howrsquos it holding
up After 2 years of constant use our
bowl is showing some signs of wear but
nothing that stops us using it as we wantto The sides are a little saggy but it still
maintains the bowl shape A small hole
did develop in the bottom along the fold
lines of the bowl but we patched it with
our puncture repair kit and havenrsquot had a
problem since
ORTLIEB 10 LITRE FOLDING BOWLWEIGHT 92 OZ (260 GR)
BT
For more information on the folding bowl
see wwwortliebde
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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IcelandWillem Megens and Rudi Verhagen experienceIcelandrsquos dramatic landscape as they cycle
around the Vatnajoumlkull glacierPhotos WILLEM MEGENS amp RUDI VERHAGEN
PHOTO STORY
Photo WILLEM MEGENS
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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65
4
3
2
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201212
Amonth before we left on our round
the world trip I began thinking ldquowhat
are we going to sit onrdquo After talking it
over with Tara (my wife) we decided our
requirements for a chair were (in order
of impotac) compact iz comfot-
able to sit in and (hopefully) very light
I started at the tip of the camp seatingiceberg by looking what Id used during
a my ai famiy campig tip tho
foldable chairs movie directors are sup-
posed to sit in I found big ones comi-
cally small ones wooden ones steel
ones aluminum ones and countless oth-
er variations before realizing the solution
had to lay elsewhere Delving deeper Idiscovered a dizzying array of options
including hundreds of folding chairs a
weird collapsible sling we tried it it was
awful) chairs with more moving parts
tha a ca ad ay gttig co ot
of th ggd o that md to t
the bill except they were all rather large
Once Id decided that a three leggedchair had the most potential I started
looking for one with telescoping legs I
knew it had to exist It took a lot of hunt-
ing but I eventually found the Swedish
made Walkstool and it had everything
w watd ma coapd iz vy
comfortable seating and thanks to its
amim cotctio ight wight O
of the things I like most about the Walk-
stool is that you can sit on it when the
legs arent extended the perfect height
for working on the drivetrain of your bi-
cycle or preparing dinner on the ground
After six months of use and abuse they
look brand new and work just as well as
they day they arrived at our doorstep I
oy hav o gativ thig to pot
they need better advertising
Walkstool Comfort
WALKSTOOL COMFORT
HEIGHT 18 IN (45 CM)
FOLDED LENGTH 11 IN (28 CM)
WEIGHT 26 OZ (725 GR)
MAXIMUM LOAD 440 LBS (200 KG)
By TYLER KELLEN
Tyler Kellen amp Tara Alan spent two yearscycling around the world Their websitewwwgoingslowlycom is the scrapbook of
their adventures together
GEAR REVIEWS
For further information on the Walkstool
Comfort see wwwwalkstoolcom
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1336JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 13
EQUIPMENT
S
ometimes itrsquos hard to separate the
important accessories from the friv-
olous ones when choosing what to take
on a tour For a long time we put Ort-
liebrsquos 10 litre folding bowl in the sec-
ond category We couldnrsquot imagine why
we needed one
It wasnrsquot until we met a couple with not
one but two folding bowls on tour that we
reconsidered our decisionSince then the
bowl (which comes in 5 litre and 20 litre siz-es as well) has been one of our most reg-
ularly used items What do we use it for
Doig lady sik a oft with-
out plugs or if yoursquore camping you may
not have access to a sink at all The bowl
is great for doing laundry in and you can
fold it together with the clothes inside to
help squeeze out excess waterCoctig wat fo tig W gt
a large amount of water together in the
bow to t ito o bott wh wrsquo
in places where we canrsquot trust the water
showig u th bow to cay v-
erything you need for your shower back
and forth between the bathrooms and
the tent If yoursquore wild camping you canalso use the bowl to collect water from a
stream or river for a bucket shower
Washing Dishes Throw them all in
with a little dish soap and you have an
instant sink or just use the bowl to carry
everything to the washing area
Cleaning Food You can throw large
quantities of vegetables in the bowl to
be washed We use ours a lot for salad
leaves which are too bulky to clean in
our saucepans You can also use the
Ortlieb 10 Litre Folding BowlBy FRIEDEL GRANT
Friedel amp Andrew Grantrsquos extensive website
wwwtravellingtwocom contains their tripreports resources for bicycle travelers andthe e-book ldquoBike Touring Survival Guiderdquo
bowl as an extra serving dish We often
make and dress our salads directly in it
Itrsquos hard to think of a day where we
donrsquot use our Ortlieb Bowl When it isnrsquot
being put to work it folds up into a tri-
angle and sits on top of our camping
mattresses which lie across Friedelrsquos
two back panniers So howrsquos it holding
up After 2 years of constant use our
bowl is showing some signs of wear but
nothing that stops us using it as we wantto The sides are a little saggy but it still
maintains the bowl shape A small hole
did develop in the bottom along the fold
lines of the bowl but we patched it with
our puncture repair kit and havenrsquot had a
problem since
ORTLIEB 10 LITRE FOLDING BOWLWEIGHT 92 OZ (260 GR)
BT
For more information on the folding bowl
see wwwortliebde
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201214
IcelandWillem Megens and Rudi Verhagen experienceIcelandrsquos dramatic landscape as they cycle
around the Vatnajoumlkull glacierPhotos WILLEM MEGENS amp RUDI VERHAGEN
PHOTO STORY
Photo WILLEM MEGENS
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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65
4
3
2
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 21
P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1336JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 13
EQUIPMENT
S
ometimes itrsquos hard to separate the
important accessories from the friv-
olous ones when choosing what to take
on a tour For a long time we put Ort-
liebrsquos 10 litre folding bowl in the sec-
ond category We couldnrsquot imagine why
we needed one
It wasnrsquot until we met a couple with not
one but two folding bowls on tour that we
reconsidered our decisionSince then the
bowl (which comes in 5 litre and 20 litre siz-es as well) has been one of our most reg-
ularly used items What do we use it for
Doig lady sik a oft with-
out plugs or if yoursquore camping you may
not have access to a sink at all The bowl
is great for doing laundry in and you can
fold it together with the clothes inside to
help squeeze out excess waterCoctig wat fo tig W gt
a large amount of water together in the
bow to t ito o bott wh wrsquo
in places where we canrsquot trust the water
showig u th bow to cay v-
erything you need for your shower back
and forth between the bathrooms and
the tent If yoursquore wild camping you canalso use the bowl to collect water from a
stream or river for a bucket shower
Washing Dishes Throw them all in
with a little dish soap and you have an
instant sink or just use the bowl to carry
everything to the washing area
Cleaning Food You can throw large
quantities of vegetables in the bowl to
be washed We use ours a lot for salad
leaves which are too bulky to clean in
our saucepans You can also use the
Ortlieb 10 Litre Folding BowlBy FRIEDEL GRANT
Friedel amp Andrew Grantrsquos extensive website
wwwtravellingtwocom contains their tripreports resources for bicycle travelers andthe e-book ldquoBike Touring Survival Guiderdquo
bowl as an extra serving dish We often
make and dress our salads directly in it
Itrsquos hard to think of a day where we
donrsquot use our Ortlieb Bowl When it isnrsquot
being put to work it folds up into a tri-
angle and sits on top of our camping
mattresses which lie across Friedelrsquos
two back panniers So howrsquos it holding
up After 2 years of constant use our
bowl is showing some signs of wear but
nothing that stops us using it as we wantto The sides are a little saggy but it still
maintains the bowl shape A small hole
did develop in the bottom along the fold
lines of the bowl but we patched it with
our puncture repair kit and havenrsquot had a
problem since
ORTLIEB 10 LITRE FOLDING BOWLWEIGHT 92 OZ (260 GR)
BT
For more information on the folding bowl
see wwwortliebde
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201214
IcelandWillem Megens and Rudi Verhagen experienceIcelandrsquos dramatic landscape as they cycle
around the Vatnajoumlkull glacierPhotos WILLEM MEGENS amp RUDI VERHAGEN
PHOTO STORY
Photo WILLEM MEGENS
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 15
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201216
Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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65
4
3
2
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 19
1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201220
Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 21
P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2336JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 23
looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2436
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 25
INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201226
BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201214
IcelandWillem Megens and Rudi Verhagen experienceIcelandrsquos dramatic landscape as they cycle
around the Vatnajoumlkull glacierPhotos WILLEM MEGENS amp RUDI VERHAGEN
PHOTO STORY
Photo WILLEM MEGENS
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 15
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201216
Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 17
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201218
65
4
3
2
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 19
1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201220
Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 21
P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201222
As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2336JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 23
looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2436
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 25
INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201226
BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 15
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201216
Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 17
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201218
65
4
3
2
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 19
1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201220
Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 21
P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201222
As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2336JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 23
looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2436
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 25
INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201226
BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201216
Watching icebergs drift by at Joumlkulsaacuterloacuten
Photo RUDI VERHAGEN
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201218
65
4
3
2
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 19
1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201220
Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 21
P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201222
As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2336JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 23
looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2436
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 25
INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201226
BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 17
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201218
65
4
3
2
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 19
1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201220
Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 21
P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201222
As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2336JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 23
looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2436
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 25
INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201226
BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201218
65
4
3
2
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 19
1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201220
Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 21
P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
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As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2336JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 23
looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2436
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 25
INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201226
BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 1936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 19
1 The turquoise lake of Kraa
2 Rudi relaxes at Stafafell campsite
3 Willem crosses the Syri Oacutefael river
4 Church near Uljoacutetsvatn
5 Loose sand on the jeep track to
Hviacutetaacuternes lake 6 Curious locals
Willem and Rudi love bicycletouring since it gives them a sense
of freedom and satisfactionYou can see more of their photos
at httpthemeegnl
Photo cdit 2 4 5 Wim Mg
1 3 6 rdi Vhag
1
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201220
Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 21
P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201222
As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2336JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 23
looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2436
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 25
INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201226
BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201220
Southern California is a blend of
the athentic and the aticia
The natural landscape continu-
ously shifts between green hills rugged
cliffs and sandy dunes One reoccur-
ring feature is the golf course I imagine
the golf players live in the ritzy and rich
neighborhoods that I passed on the way
such as Monterey with all its grand vil-
las protected by high walls and Malibursquos
fenced in fancy houses that occupy en-
tire beaches I did not go behind those
glamorous facades but outside of them I
met several genuine generous and gor-geous people
As I bicycled past the high walls and
private beaches the Big Sur coast ap-
peared in all its simple beauty The luxury
life sometimes drove by me in the shape
of fast cars that looked like bat-mobiles
and suV the ength of imoine sti
I cycled on with the help of the wind Itpushed me up the high hills and treated
me with splendid views from the top be-
fore blowing me back down to sea level
The scenery was spectacular with water-
falls plunging into the ocean waves that
invited me in for a salty bath and camp
grounds with the star lit sky as the only
light source
Californiarsquos animals are full of charac-
ter Cute and clever raccoons ran their
nightly raids in search of food around my
tent During the day frisky squirrels jumped
in the ed and azy eephant ea took
naps on the beach The city animals
have had a make-over to match the de-
signer handbags that they sit in Spoiled
pets were pampered in cat-spas in glitzy
lo Angee and ate gazed dog bicit
from the bakeries of wealthy Carmel In
the beach town of Solana pet owners
could even book a consultation for advice
on reducing the climate change impact
of their animalrsquos high carbon lifestyle
All of the pets and people who peek out
from a fashionable handbag gaze over aprotective wall watch through their bat-
mobile car window or look beyond the
aticia andcape of a gof coe can
still enjoy the true beauty of California
the coast For me it was amazing to see
eappeaing view of the Pacic Ocean It
was there next to the Santa Barbara col-
lege house that I stayed in It was thereas I stretched my calves and thighs after
climbing the Big Sur hills It was there as
I hng ot by the kateboad pak at Ven-
ice Beach It was there as I dried in the
sun after a swim near San Diego and it
will continue to be by my side as I start
cycling through the beauty of Mexico
C A L I F O R N I A N
B E A U T Y
You can follow Hanna Mi Jakobsonrsquosfurther trans-American travels atwwwhannamijakobsoncom
Swedish journalist Hanna Mi Jakobson cycled
the Californian coast in search of new views
BT
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 21
P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201222
As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2336JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 23
looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2436
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 25
INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201226
BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 21
P h o t o s H A
N N A M I J A K O B S O N
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201222
As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2336JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 23
looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2436
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 25
INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201226
BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201222
As I had been staying in northern
Bangkok it meant that I had to
ride through the city center and
out the other side when it was time to go
I hoped that by leaving at 630am I would
miss all the early morning commuter traf-
c How wog cod I b Fom th mo-ment I left the safety of the hotel car park
I wa attackd by tafc ev with a
my bicycle lights blazing the drivers still
couldnrsquot see me at one point I thought it
might be safer if I turned the lights off be-
cause then at least they wouldnrsquot know
what to aim for During that ride through
the city horns blared all around me andcars driven by madmen desperate to get
to work inched passed me
Cycling manners At t I wa a poit a I cod poi-
bly be lsquorsquocome on guys take your time and
give me a bit of room here after all we
are in this togetherrsquorsquo after about half an
hour of this politeness I managed to get
the sentence down to a couple of choice
words and hand gestures that are under-
stood in most countries Finally after three
hours of madness I managed to reach
the city outskirts and I was completely
lost Following my compass south witha map that was not detailed enough to
show the suburban streets I had to hope
that I wod vtay d a mai ot
Finding heavenIt was now 11am the sun was getting
hot I was tired from that morningrsquos com-
muter adventure and felt it would be goodto hav a ay ih I pottd a ig
that said Jimmies Guest House perfect
I would have somewhere to stay and
hopefully Jimmie could help me with a
detailed route out of the suburbs and
south towards the coast I never found
Jimmy and after an hour of following the
signs I gave up outside the gates to what
B983137983150983143983147983151983147Goodbye
Rob Halkett leaves the Thai capital amid the
sounds of car horns birdsong and ldquohey big spenderrdquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2336JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 23
looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2436
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 25
INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201226
BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2336JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 23
looked like an expensive resort I didnrsquot
care if it cost $1000 a night I just want-
ed off the bike It turned out to be much
cheaper than I thought and would be
the perfect place for an overnight Once
again I was given a small private bunga-
low overlooking a lake The rest of that af-
ternoon was absolute bliss as I watched
birds and other wildlife on the lake
from the comfort of my private balcony
Karaoke contestantsI met the resortrsquos other guests at dinner a
group of pensioners from northern Thai-
land who had traveled down to Bang-kok to perform in a karaoke competition
Karaoke is huge here and every bar or
club and restaurant no matter how big or
small has a karaoke machine Everyone
is welcome to pick up the microphone
and sing I was used to listening to peo-
ple who canrsquot sing perform songs that
should never have been written At din-
ner I listened to ldquomy wayrdquo ldquosomewhere
over the rainbowrdquo ldquosend in the clownsrdquo
and other classic songs from the 50s and
60s sung in Thai it was the most bizarre
evening The group who were all great
fun had brought a professional karaoke
instructor with them and he was busy all
night teaching the contestants how to
sing each song They had noticed that
there was a foreigner in the restaurant
listening to them and clapping at the end
of each song and they were determinedto get me on the stage Fortunately we
cod d othig i egih o th ma-
chine although that was partly my fault
as I had told him to key into the machine
songs by System of a down or Metallica
I went to bed that evening to the sound
of ldquoHey Big Spenderrdquo sung in ThaiBT
For Rob Halkett there is no better way to seethe world than from a bicycle saddle You
can read more stories from his world biketrip at wwwrobsbikeridecom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2436
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 25
INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201226
BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2436
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 25
INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201226
BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 25
INTERVIEW
Q If you could come back and
ride anywhere in France where
would you go
A evywh
Q And where would you avoid
A Th otkit of Mai
Q Yoursquove cycled all over the
world ndash how does France rate
when you compare it to all the
other exotic destinations yoursquove
written about
A It vy co to th top of th it
Q In your early days you man-
aged to convince lots of non-cy-
cling friends to undertake some
pretty long rides with you Doyou have any advice for cyclists
who have reluctant partners or
friends theyrsquore trying to cajole
along for a ride
A Pg foth ito th kow ndash
its much more fun and much more
memorable than doing something safeand tedious
Q France has some great
routes for families ndash the Loire
the vineyard routes of Gironde
the greenways of Brittany
Youve got two mini-cyclists
of your own who are clock-
ing up the miles ndash whatrsquos so
great about introducing kids
to cycling
A Fdom advt ig ad
noticing things that they never would
when strapped into a vehicle enjoy-
ing life without being reliant on some
computerized gadget being outdoors in
all weathers It also makes them sleep
exceptionally well
Australian cyclist Lynette Eyb startedwwwfreewheelingfrancecom to help other
bicyclists plan their trips through France
BT
Josie Dew is the author of several popularcycling adventure books such as ldquoTheWind in My Wheels Travel Tales from the
Saddlerdquo and ldquoA Ride in the Neon Sun AGaijin in Japanrdquo For more information see
wwwjosiedewcom
ldquoFrench people like
cyclists even ones
with panniersrdquo
Q What three items canrsquot you
cycle without
A Tt to-cip ad a mii lathma
Q Any nal words of advice for
people thinking about cycling in
France
A Tat with xtm catio th biq-
ito igpot that poit TOuTes
DIreCTIOns How ca yo go i a
directions at once especially when its
pointing in the opposite direction from
the one you want to go
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201226
BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2636WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201226
BENJAMIN JACOBwwwglobecyclersde
China
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2736JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 27
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2836WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201228
FABIAN NAWRATH
wwwafricabybikede
Uganda Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 2936JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 29
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3036WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201230
PAUL JEURISSENwwwpauljeurissennl
India
Image Roadthe
from
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3136JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 31
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3236WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201232
Not being able to go pee barefoot
in the middle of the nightrdquo Aicia ua wwwrodadasnet
ldquoMy WardrobeEvery girl should have more
than 3 sets of clothes to choose from
H loyd httphelenstakeoncom
ldquoNadda nil nix zippo zilch zip
lotta Hdo wwwskalatitudecom
Longing for
My kitchen - as a hungry cyclist
I dream about itrdquoTom Kevill-Davies wwwhungrycyclistcom
ldquoThe comfort of my own toilet
Dennis Koomen
wwwtoko-op-etsvakantienl
Facebook as I do not take a
smartphone on my tripsrdquoDirk van Hulle
wwwfacebookcomdirkvanhulle
Monday morning tube ride into
lodorsquo rat racrdquoHenry Brydon wwwtheblazingsaddlescom
rdquo
ldquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
Twitt - it i difct to cyc ad twtrdquoSimon Stewart wwwsilk-wheelscom
Sitting on the coach watchingmovies with my familyrdquoDustin Orrick wwwwork2ridecom
Clearly marked prices when shoppingrdquoFred Spengler
wwwcrazyguyonabikecomonrbikes
ldquoShoes that donrsquot go ldquoclick clickrdquo
when you walk
Guy Moodie wwwabikejourneycom
ldquoNot having to put on
frozen shoes in the morningThoma riy
wwwaroundtheworldforwatercouk
Anything that casts a shadow
resting in the shaderdquoDavid Gregory wwwboomersonbikescom
ldquo A loud stereo - to drown out the sound
of big trucks and noisy carsDave Conroy wwwtiredotca
What do cyclists miss on their trips
ldquoChairman Meowthe coolest cat in Canada
Mike Boles httpmikeonbikewordpresscom
ldquoKnowing the name of the place Irsquom
headed to when asked where Irsquom going
emma Phipott wwwrolling-talescom
Photo PAul JeurIssen
rdquo
rdquo
rdquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
ldquo
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3336
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3436WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL - JANUARY 201234
SPEEDSTERS By STEVE FABES
COLUMN
Chances are you have met one Phap yo v a o Had ow back amot hoizota max-
imum two panniers and eyes scanning the trailing asphalt ner-
voy taig tig gac at th odomt Itrsquo th spdt
The
During my journey Irsquove
met many cyclists striving
to ride the length of Africa
in just four months many
others are chasing world
records and several orga-
nized tours have sproutedup in recent years making
The Speedster as ubiqui-
tous in this world as drunk
British nineteen year olds on Gap Years
This entity seems to exist only on
busy highways and dreary uninspir-
ing parts of the world never on rough
roads never in those wild placesWhen we do cross paths the conver-
sation follows a predictable pattern
often beginning with ldquoSo how many ki-
lometres have you comerdquo Followed
swiftly by ldquoAnd how long did that takerdquo
Cue furrowed brow mental arithmetic
is in progress as The Speedster tries to
calculate exactly how many more kilome-
tres they cover per month than you do
Itrsquos a shame that wersquove entered an era
of fast and furious bike adventures I canrsquot
help but wonder whether
people are forgetting what
for me is the ultimate high
of traveling by bicycle - the
slow transition The bicycle
is simply one of the best
mediums to explore a coun-try in detail As one place
slowly merges with another
bicycle travelers watch the
world evolve Why race through To see
a lot but to experience little By setting a
time limit you beef up the challenge but
acic omthig that to m at at i
far more important - the adventure Thetimes I have felt most alive have been
on those dusty tracks at the very edge of
civilization The times Irsquove relished more
than any other have been when Irsquove tak-
en up offers of hospitality from local peo-
ple offers which I presume would often
be declined by the speed freaks all in the
name of a few more miles before sunset
Phap Irsquom vgig o big o of
those conceited know-it-alls the type of
irritating traveler who seems convinced
P h o t o S T E
V E F A B E S
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3536JANUARY 2012 - WWWBICYCLETRAVELERNL 35
Dr Steve Fabes aims to cycle the length ofthe 6 continents while raising money for the
UK health charity Merlin You can followSteve at wwwcyclingthe6blogspotcom
CONTRIBUTORSthey are exploring the world in a superior
way than most but why not take more
time to look around Constantly dwell-
ing on distance and on time and on the
future means you forget to be surprised
by the present Why not resist always
taking the shortest or the easiest path
loop a ptti tha taight i
Shrug off that addiction to asphalt Take
time to banter with passersby and every
once in a while take a detour through a
town or village just because it has a fun-
ny sounding name on the map
And to The Speedsters out there I
have a few suggestions to make life eas-ier First off - a urinary catheter to oblit-
erate the need for all those time wast-
ing toilet stops A straw into your mouth
connected to a huge hat containing car-
bo-rich liquidized mush the kind of stuff
NASA gives to its astronauts And lastly
a tiny video camera on the handlebars
recording everything that occurs outsideyo twty dg via d That way
if something interesting happens to your
left or right therersquos no need to turn your
had catig dag ad acicig v-
locity Just watch it on tape afterwards in
the comfort of your own home whilst you
tell your friends and family how amazing
the experience was although you wishthat puncture on the N2 hadnacutet dented
your November average And next time
we meet - have some empathy please
Wersquore not all like you so letrsquos not talk in
numbers Tell me a good story insteadBT
AALDRIK MULDER
ALICIA URREA
ALVARO NEIL
AMAYA WILLIAMS
ANDREW MORGAN
ANDREW SYKES
BENJAMIN JACOB
DAVE CONROY
DAVID GREGORY
DAVID PIPER
DEAN CLEMENTSON
DENNIS KOOMEN
DIRK VAN HULLE
DUSTIN ORRICK
ED BRABANDER
EMMA PHILPOTT
FABIAN NAWRATH
FEARGHAL ONUALLAIN
FRED SPENGLER
FRIEDEL GRANT
GUY MOODIE
HANNA MI JAKOBSON
HARRY WAGENAAR
HELEN LLOYD
HENRIK RISAGER
HENRY BRYDON
JACK MOORE
JANYIS WATSON
JARED MITCHELL
JOSIE DEW
KATIE TIBBETTS
LEONARDO CORRADINI
LIZ WILTON
LORETTA HENDERSON
LYNETTE EYB
MARC FREEDMAN
MIKE BOLES
MIRJAM WOUTERS
PAUL JEURISSEN
RACHEL HUGENS
ROB HALKETT
ROB LUCAS
RUDI VERHAGEN
SCOTT STOLL
SHANE LITTLE
SIMON STEWART
STEVE FABES
THOMAS RILEY
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
TYLER KELLEN
WILLEM MEGENS
rciv a SHOW IT book
with your FREE subscription to
Bicycle Traveler magazinewwwbicycletravelernl
8122019 Bicycle Traveler January 2012
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullbicycle-traveler-january-2012 3636
Photo FEARGHAL Orsquo NUALLAIN
TravelerBicycle
Parting shot